Unforgettable
by looneyluna
Summary: Severus and Hermione must suffer the effects of a Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes experiment.
1. Chapter 1

Unforgettable

By: Looneyluna

I don't own the Harry Potter universe. The Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Warning! This story contains mature content between consenting adults.**

--

"Will you just relax?" George whispered to his counterpart in crime.

Moving one of the branches of the bush they were hiding behind, Fred cleared his throat and waited. "We've only tested the potion on Mum and Dad. How do you know it will work?"

"I don't," George replied. "Mum and Dad were the control test. We need a random sample. It was a miracle we were even able to spike the punch with Mad-Eye watching our every move."

"What makes you think the subjects will show up here?"

"I don't know if the potion will even work, seeing as it was so diluted," George mumbled, squinting into the dark.

Fred huffed, trying to get more comfortable. "I saw an opportunity and took it. You do realize the potion is illegal. It's not like we are going to be able to market it, much less make any money off of it."

"I know," George said and chuckled. "But think of the fun we're having. Wouldn't it be a hoot if Dumbledore winds up under the potion's effect? I'd like to see who he winds up with."

"Well, if his intended doesn't get an adequate dose, we'll never find out." Fred shifted the leaves of the bush again and moved to sit up. "I bet Ginny and Harry wind up together."

George frowned. "I hadn't thought about that one. I don't think I like the idea of the Boy-Who-Defeated-Voldemort having his way with our little sister."

"You should have thought of that before you gave me the go-ahead to spike the wretched punch," Fred responded defensively.

Growing more agitated, George shifted behind the bush and looked up at the stars. "Maybe it didn't work."

"It was still a brilliant plan," Fred said in a comforting tone. "Couldn't you just imagine who would wind up with whom?"

George sighed wistfully. "It's a given that Ron would go after Luna," he conjectured.

Fred shivered. "What about Hermione? Who do you think she would fancy?"

"Not a who," George replied. "A what. As in what book would she fancy? Do you think she might fancy a Goblin? She's around them all day long at work."

"You're just sore because she turned you down," Fred teased. "Even if the potion did effect Hermione, she wouldn't come looking for you. The potion only draws those attracted to one another together."

"I bloody well know what the potion is good for, imbecile," George retorted.

"Hush!" Fred whispered. "Someone is coming."

--

Hermione staggered through the wizard's maze, welcoming the air against her warm skin. She'd had to leave the second annual celebratory ball. It was too hot and there were too many people in the grand hall. The Ministry had gone to a lot of trouble to secure such a grand mansion to celebrate Voldemort's downfall. Most of Hogwarts' staff and alumni were here…even him.

She honestly didn't know why he'd even come tonight. Professor Snape, as usual, had done nothing but stare menacingly at people all night long. He hadn't changed one bit. Seven years of condescending remarks and looks had been the bane of her existence during Potions' classes. Even after two years away from Hogwarts, he still held sway over her. His was the voice in her head that constantly challenged her.

She approached the levitating punch bowl with wary hesitation. Professor Snape was sulking next to it, glass in hand and staring at various couples as they danced around the floor. If it weren't for the desperate thirst she felt, she would never have approached the refreshment stand.

"_Accio Cup," she said, waving her wand with a smirk. After all he hated foolish wand waving. Scooping some punch into her cup, she took a small sip and winced._

"_You may want to try the champagne. Or is butter beer more your speed?" Snape questioned with a sneer. "I just chased the Weasley twins away from the bowl. Apparently they spiked the punch with some unknown libation." _

_Hermione looked at the cup in Snape's hand and grimaced as she took another sip. He was drinking it. She would be damned if he would intimidate her. "Delicious," she replied, her eyes watering. The room seemed to get hotter and she shifted from foot to foot uneasily._

"_Yes. Quite," the potion master said, draining the contents of his cup and placing the cup on a passing tray. _

_The challenge was issued. She could see it in his dark eyes. She would have to down the contents of the glass in one swift gulp to best him. Bastard. Closing her eyes, she tipped her head and cup back and choked the red liquid down as best she could. Her eyes burned as tears formed. What the hell did George and Fred put in the punch? It was disgusting. Finally able to compose herself, Hermione set her cup on a floating tray and walked away. "A pleasure, as always, Professor."_

Unbuttoning the top of the outer robes, Hermione fanned herself with her hand. Her gown was of modest Muggle design, but she wanted to rip it from her skin and take a cold shower or jump into a lake. Neither a lake nor a shower was available. Bloody hell! She took her outer robe off completely and slipped out of her shoes. Maybe she was coming down with something.

Desire ensnared her and she started panting. Here she was at a grandiose ball with no date to take home and shag rotten. Worse. She wasn't even at the ball anymore. Here she was languishing in the wizard's maze, wanting nothing more than to go back and find her former potion master and snog him senseless.

Snape?

Where in the hell did that thought come from?

The bushes rattled, the maze constantly changing. A new clearing appeared in front of her and standing in the middle of the clearing was the object of her traitorous thoughts. Don't panic. Calm down.

--

He felt as though he were under the Imperius Curse. Something impelled him to find her. Gods, he felt as though he was on fire. She was alluring tonight, her crimson red robes doing nothing for her figure, her unmanageable hair barely contained by the clip at the nape of her neck. She was unassuming and plain, not at all his type.

Primal instincts incited him to close the distance between them. Her outer robe was on the ground and she was pacing restlessly, tugging off her gloves.

"You!" she shouted.

Whatever she was about to say was lost as he sealed his lips over hers. With practiced skill, he invaded her mouth, nibbling on her lips, sweeping his tongue along the seam of them. She groaned in response and opened her mouth.

Glaring into her surprised, lust-filled eyes, Severus grabbed her wrists and held them to her sides. Gods, he needed her. He needed to be inside her, to burying himself inside her heady orifice and seek his release. Breaking the kiss, Severus nipped and licked his way along her jaw and down her neck.

Hermione started once his lips settled over a delicate spot along her neck.

Her excited breathing urged him to bite the tender flesh. She was his. This was his mark. One hand left her wrist and hastily groped one of her covered breasts.

They knelt on the discarded robe, Hermione lying back and opening herself for her former professor.

"Please." The desperation in her voice was her only vocalization as she hiked her gown up to her thighs.

Kneeling between her legs, Severus opened his robe and reached for her. Pushing her gown up to her waist and running his hands along her thighs, he uttered a silent curse. Leave it up to a Muggle born witch to wear a Muggle contraption like nylons. Normally Severus found the trappings arousing, but not this time. With growing frustration, he unhooked the clips and tore her knickers off her body and held them up to his nose. The scent, this is what he needed. He would indulge in this and, once sated, cast her aside. He would Obliviate her and she would never remember this lapse in judgement.

Hastily undoing the buttons to his trousers, he released his ready sex.

Hermione tried reaching for him, but Severus grabbed her hands and pinned them over her head. He pushed her legs farther apart and positioned the crown of his manhood at her quivering entrance, a moment of clarity suddenly breaking through the lusty haze that muddled his reason.

A lust potion! Those little prats had spiked the punch with a lust potion. Why hadn't he recognized the symptoms sooner as he became unbearably hot and torrid thoughts of Hermione Granger started running through his mind? Lust potions were highly illegal. Once he completed shagging Hermione senseless, he was going to hunt the Weasley twins down and remove their vital organs so they could never procreate. The last thing he needed was for them to breed and for him to get stuck teaching their dunderhead children. The thought made him shudder.

His former student moved underneath him to try to lift her hips and complete the union.

With a sneer and a vicious thrust, Severus imbedded himself inside her heat. All conscious thought abandoned him as he rutted wildly on top of her.

Her soft pants and moans filled the night air, hastening his pace. The feel of her feminine core around him was bliss. The scent of her filled his nostrils and he knew before this night was over that he would feast between her folds. He frowned, unable to hear what he wanted, the sound of his flesh slapping against hers.

Burying the sensatory thought deep within him, he quickened his pace, driving into her with one goal, one purpose. Then he felt it, the damp walls of her core clasping his flesh. She was still beneath him, riding the tide of pleasure.

He didn't think he could go any faster, unadulterated pride swelling in his chest after witnessing her orgasm. This union was about him now, the greedy, self-centered, egotistical bastard. He entered her the final time, silently moaning as he came.

Collapsing next to her, he righted himself. He was still on fire, lust flooding his sensing. The bushes shifted, signaling an end to their tryst.

Severus stood, and pulled his lover up, steadying her as she swayed on her feet. She was breathing heavily, idly petting his forearm and nuzzling it. He could feel the desire pool in his groin and cursed again. This lust potion was stronger than he'd ever known. How had those two dunderheads managed such a potent batch?

Gathering her robe and pocketing her knickers, he embraced her and looked into her shocked eyes. "We aren't finished yet." They Disapparated.

--

"I think I'm going to be ill," George mumbled.

Fred couldn't take his eyes off the spot where the frenzied coupling had taken place. "I can't believe it. Who would have ever thought Hermione and Snape would be attracted to one another."

"I'm going to be ill," George groused, holding his stomach.

"No honking, George. It wasn't as bad as watching Mum and Dad going at it like rabid kneazles." Fred stood and offered his twin a hand.

--

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two –

Severus woke with a start, feeling as though he were suffocating. What in the bloody hell was all over his face? Opening his eyes, he saw the reason for his respiratory discomfort – hair. Great big, bushy, unmanageable hair. Mousy brown hair! He pulled away and sat up, his eyes focusing on the familiar surroundings of his bedchambers.

Bugger it! What had possessed him to bring…? Severus glared down at the sleeping woman's bag, unable to remember the woman's name. He never brought women down to the dungeon. He kept a flat in Diagon Alley for rendezvous such as these. Better yet, he normally connived his way into his lover's bedchambers. It was much easier for him to leave than for him to be chivalrous and wait for his lover to leave.

Bloody hell! This was a mess. Add to the fact that the barely remembered last night's events, he had a woman lying next to him with hair that reminded him of Potter's friend, Hermoine Granger.

The woman next to him sighed in her sleep.

Severus leapt out of bed. Bloody fucking hell! His worst nightmare was sleeping in his bed! His worst nightmare, Miss Know-It-All Hermione Granger, was sleeping in his bed!

She turned over, lying on her back, her mass of curls falling in all directions. The tips of her pert breasts were peaking through the curtain of tangles, enticing him to kiss them.

A flash of memory pierced his consciousness, and he ran his hand over his face as the state of instantaneous arousal mocked him. He'd held onto that hair, run his fingers through it as she…

Merlin! Her skill at fellatio was bloody brilliant! The touch of her hair on his hip had been one of the most arousing sensations he'd experienced. Where had she learned to do that? Potter? Weasley? A sudden spark of jealousy stirred within him.

Pacing the length of the drafty room, Severus stopped long enough to pull his dressing gown over his head. It would not do for her to wake up and see him in this state.

The lust potion still held sway over him. How could that be? He'd never come across one so potent. As soon as he set things right with Miss Granger, he was going to hex those redheaded spawns of Arthur and Molly to Hades, then drag them in front of the Wizengamot and make sure they languished in Azkaban for the rest of their putrid lives. They would pay a hefty price for this…inconvenience.

Hermione shifted in her sleep again, moaning as she did.

Severus could feel his member twitch as he remembered how loud she moaned when he tasted her last night. Her scent had driven him to feast between her pale thighs several times last night. He had hungered for the taste, and went about deliberating the subtleties of her body.

He lifted his hand to his face, inhaling the lingering scent, and quickly pulled it away. This would not do at all. Why was he lingering over this slumbering witch? She was no different than the rest of them. Perhaps he would forgo Obliviating her. Instead, he would intimidate her. Stare her down. Make sure she would always remember whom she had bedded last night. That should keep her from approaching him ever again with her inane questions and fantastical ramblings. Miss Hermione Granger had shagged her ex-professor! A smug leer spread across his face.

Severus pulled off his dressing gown and crawled under the covers. It was time to wake Miss Granger properly and send her on her way.

--

Her eyes snapped open. Every muscle in her body ached. Hot breath tickled the nape of her neck as a callused hand traversed a worn path over her hip and down her thigh.

"Good morning," whispered an all-too-familiar voice.

Hermione froze, flashes of last night's events playing before her like a Muggle horror movie. The punch. Him standing by the punch. His silent challenges that pushed her to do better. Why had she felt the need to drink that concoction?

He'd found her. She'd welcomed him. They had rutted like wild animals, not once, but several times. Merlin's beard! What had possessed her?

His fingers danced across the curls at the apex of her thighs. Her breath caught in her throat, and panic set in. Slapping his hand away, she rolled out of the grotesquely ornate bed and landed ungracefully on the floor.

"Not the reaction I had hoped for," her former professor taunted. "But it is a start."

Hermione gasped, the cold dungeon floor unusually frigid. "You!" she spat, finally able to stand.

"Yes, Miss Granger," he said with a leer, leaning back against the multitude of pillows.

Her eyes lingered on the defined, lean muscles of his chest, noticing the sparse black hairs. She shivered, pulling the sheet from the bed and wrapping it around her body. "What did you do to me?" she asked, not even trying to contain the contempt and blame she felt toward the man lounging in bed.

"Nothing you didn't want me to do," Severus replied, a shrewd smirk on his lips.

"You poisoned me," Hermione shrieked, walking around the room and collecting her things.

Severus sat up in bed. "I did nothing of the sort."

"You drugged me!" she accused, finding her gown in a heap on the floor and pulling it over her head. "You vile, disgusting…man."

Severus' smirk quickly turned into a scowl. "You begged me."

Hermione checked her reflection in the floor-length mirror carefully. She touched the love bite on her neck. "Well, that dispels that rumor," she stated, her inflection dripping with sarcasm. "You're definitely not a vampire.

"Hardly," Severus replied snidely as he watched her every move.

Hurrying around the room, Hermione collected her things – garter belt here, nylons there, and shoes near the door. "Yes," she exclaimed, holding up her wand. She put a concealment charm on the love bite.

She could feel him watching her, embarrassment simmering deep with her. This just added to the humiliation she had already suffered through him – the countless instances of public insults during class and the snide remarks out of class. Most memorable of all took place last year at the first annual celebratory ball.

"_How are you enjoying yourself, Miss Granger?" Albus Dumbledore asked._

"_I'm well, Professor," Hermione replied easily, tapping her toe and watching the couples dancing around the floor. Harry waved at her as he danced with a witch who was three times his age. That was the price of his celebrity. He had to dance with everybody. Her date, Neville, was dancing with Ginny who was Harry's date. _

"_And how are you liking your position at Gringotts?"_

_Hermione sighed. As a low-level curse breaker, the daily puzzles she was presented with kept her intrigued. She was responsible for breaking curses on small items, like jewelry and rare gems. She was paid well, but her job was a lonely one. Goblins weren't exactly known for being social creatures. "I'm finding my position very rewarding, sir. Thank you for the recommendation."_

_Sighing, Albus gave her a look over his half-moon spectacles. "I really wish you would reconsider my offer. Professor Flitwick is planning on retiring soon and we'll need a replacement for Charms."_

_Hermione smiled. "I appreciate your offer, Professor Dumbledore, but I don't think teaching is for me." She looked toward the dance floor and toward Neville. Poor Ginny wore a pained expression from Neville dancing on her feet. _

_Feigning interest in the couples dancing, Hermione thought about Dumbledore's offer. Truth of the matter was that she had thought of teaching as a career, but not at Hogwarts. Snape was there, and she'd given up long ago on the schoolgirl crush she'd had on the great giant bat. _

_A fit of giggles broke her concentration as Neville and Ginny walked up. They helped themselves to some refreshment. Hermione smiled at her friends, unable to see the person who stood just a few paces behind her. _

"_It's a shame," Albus said thoughtfully. "The night is almost over and there are only a few dances left. Severus," he called out excitedly. "I believe Miss Granger's partner is tired out, and seeing as I am an old wizard, perhaps you would escort Miss Granger to the floor and dance with her."_

_Hermione blushed at the straightforward nature of the request. She had caught a glance of him earlier that night. He was dressed in his traditional black trousers, black tunic and black robes. Did the man own any other color?_

"_No," he said flatly._

_Dumbledore cajoled the younger man. "You haven't danced all night, Severus. I really do wonder why you came. Miss Granger is looking exceptionally lovely this evening and I could see her tapping her toe to the music earlier. It would be a pity to let the opportunity pass."_

_She was sure she was bright red by now for she felt her embarrassment warm in her cheeks. _

"_I have not imbibed enough spirits to find the elusive beauty of Miss Granger to which you refer. Perhaps you should invest in new glasses," Severus replied, his tone unusually reserved. _

"_Really Severus –"Dumbledore began._

"_Her frock is exceedingly boring. Even with a proper frock, she would have no figure to tempt a man. Her hair, as usual, is a chaotic disaster. And her mannerisms are deplorable. Even if I were to be tempted by Miss Granger, I would need to go on an all-night bender at which time I would hopefully have the good fortune to pass out. Good evening," he declared and walked off._

_All eyes were on her and she wished she could Disapparate right there. But she didn't want to cause a scene. Ginny was quiet. Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat. Only Neville had the nerve to say anything. _

"_I—I think you look smashing, Hermione," Neville stuttered, his scared eyes watching the retreating back of his worst fear. _

She'd never been so humiliated in her life, except for now as memories of their night of passion surfaced. The night was full of whispered sighs and lusty moans as they fed their passionate longings. She had begged him the first time. The look of superiority and disdain when he had taken her that first time would be forever ingrained in her mind. He was cruel, perhaps the cruelest man she'd ever known. Would there be no end to his insults? Would she ever truly be rid of him? Would she have to remove herself from the wizarding world to finally rid herself of him? Instead of waiting for his debasing insults, she would be the first to strike.

--

He didn't know why it bothered him when she concealed the love bite, but it did. Something possessive inside him wanted all to know she was his.

But she wasn't. Hermione had made her view of last night perfectly clear. Vile. Disgusting. Those words were enough to dent any wizard's ego. Luckily, Severus wasn't one to be swayed by ego…very easily.

"You've taken to using potions to get laid, Professor?" Hermione asked vehemently.

Her accusation hung in the air, challenging him for an answer.

"I told you when you walked up to the punch bowl that one of the Weasley twins had spiked it," he answered, his tone low and dangerous. "I didn't realize with what until it was too late."

"That is a likely story," she spat. "You told me the punch was spiked after I had taken my first sip. Why not before?"

"I have many immunities to standard potions, and the ability to identify them. An antidote is readily available for me," Severus explained calmly. "After I had tasted the punch, I had realized what those two dunderheads had done. I needed to drink the rest of it to understand what they had brewed. Before I could warn you, you had already taken your first sip."

Scoffing, Hermione stepped toward Severus. "You of all wizards should realize how incompetent Fred and George Weasley are when potions are involved! You're deceitful. Exactly what I would expect of a Slytherin. But to stoop to illegal potions? Surely there are prostitutes who could overlook your hooked nose, greasy hair, and yellow teeth. Isn't that what they are paid for?" Hermione smiled, her smile malicious.

She started searching for the door out of the dungeons, clutching her robe and shoes in her arms. "I can't Apparate. Where is the way out? Show me the way out or I will hex you until you plead for mercy." She pointed her wand at him for emphasis.

"There is no need for hysterics, Miss Granger," Severus assured her, pulling the cover with him as he sat up and eyeing his wand on the nightstand. She was looking at his bare chest with veiled lust. "Could you turn around, please? I wouldn't want to offend you with my appearance any more than necessary."

Hermione lowered her wand slowly, turning on her heel.

Picking up his wand, Severus exhaled slowly. He had the sneaky suspicion that her accusations would not end in his chambers. She'd made her opinion of him poignantly clear. Her remarks were vicious and cruel, characteristics he never thought he would see in her.

He'd set out to humiliate her, but she had done the unthinkable. She had reminded him of himself. And that was unforgivable. There was only room for one Severus Snape.

He raised his wand and pointed it at her back. "Obliviate!"

--

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three --

Every fiber of her being protested the slightest of movements as Hermione woke up. The familiar call of the morning bird did not greet her as she blinked up at her ceiling. Perhaps Crookshanks had finally caught the noisy nuisance.

With a loud groan, she sat up in bed and frowned. Why was she wearing her gown and why was it on backwards? Vague memories churned in her head as unfamiliar muscles ached. She had a splitting headache, and the sound of honking horns outside her flat didn't help matters.

The ball! She'd been to the ball! Flashes of the evening's events floated to the surface of her memories. She'd gone alone last night, not needing a replay of last year's events in front of any potential date. Neville had yet to recover from the run in with Snape and was still complementing her whenever he saw her.

Ginny and Ron were there, bickering like brother and sister. If she remembered correctly, Ron was a bit miffed with Harry for bringing Luna to the ball. If Ron was miffed, Ginny was livid.

Harry and Ginny had broken things off shortly after the first annual ball. She couldn't stand Harry's adoring fans and had given him an ultimatum. Still new to being a celebrity without worrying about being killed by Voldemort, Harry had chosen his adoring public over the needs of his lover.

As usual, Ron and Luna were arguing about something. But neither one of them could tell you about what. All they knew was that they were angry at one another and barely on speaking terms.

She had danced with both Harry and Ron, listening to both of them grumble about their lost loves. After having her toes stepped on several times by Ron, Hermione had finally snapped. She pushed him away and thanked him for the dance, reminding him, "It's better to have love and lost, than to have never loved at all."

After that, things got a little fuzzy. She remembered approaching the floating punch bowl and being apprehensive about doing so.

Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, Hermione gasped. Not only was her gown on backwards, she had a love bite!

Flashes of a passionate embrace danced on the cusp of her memories. Closing her eyes, she could envision a head with dark hair buried between her legs, pleasuring her with talented skill. Hermione tore her dress off, looking for more evidence of last night's activities.

She wasn't wearing any knickers! Her robe, suspenders and nylons were lying in a haphazard heap on the floor near her door. She strode over to the heap and lifted her robe, searching for more evidence. A run in her nylons and the twisted pile of suspenders mocked her silently.

Where were her knickers?

Had she gotten totally pissed last night and done the impossible? Had she taken a lover?

She'd faced Voldemort's Deatheaters! Certainly that was worse than this. She'd had a fling last night and she couldn't remember with whom. She was on the Potion. Other than the potential for an embarrassing and awkward meeting with the lover she couldn't recall, there wouldn't be any consequences.

Hermione shivered, crossing her arms over her chest. The possibilities were limitless. She mentally ticked off the possible candidates in her mind and cringed. Harry and Ron were definitely off the list. So was Neville. He was married now. With any luck, she had shagged someone who she'd never see again.

--

That bloody nuisance of a cat was going to suffer a horrible demise if he had anything to do with it, Severus thought as he rubbed Strained and Pickled Murtlap Tentacles onto the scratches that vile creature had inflicted upon his legs. Hermione's cat was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

_He'd carried Hermione to the gates of Hogwarts. It would not do to just leave her there. Knowing her, she would be able to put two and two together and realize something was amiss. Luckily Severus had managed to get her to the front gates of Hogwarts without anyone noticing. Everyone was still suffering the effects of getting pissed last night._

_Once he and Hermione had made it to the gates, he pulled her into his arms and Apparated to Muggle London. Her flat was near the Leaky Cauldron. _

_He'd seen her several months ago, leaving Gringotts, and he had followed her. It was just a simple matter of a Disillusionment Charm while he pursued her. _

_She'd actually gone home for lunch. Why hadn't she just eaten at the Leaky Cauldron or Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor? Surely she was paid well for her work at Gringotts and could afford to eat anywhere she pleased. Why didn't she just Apparate to her apartment? Surely she had a license to do so. _

_He would have followed her into the apartment, but her insufferable pet had seen right through his charm and was determined to alert his mistress to the treachery at hand. A common saying repeated in his mind. It was true. Owners really did resemble their pets. Hermione and Crookshanks were perfectly matched for one another. _

_After Stupefying Crookshanks, Severus had floated Hermione into her bedroom and had placed her gently onto her bed. That had been the easy part. Seeing her sprawled across her bed, her dress provocatively bunched around her waist, Severus could see the tempting crux of her thighs. He'd dropped her robe, suspenders and nylons by the front door. It was then that he realized her knickers were still in his pocket…his pocket in his other trousers. _

_Hermione moaned and Severus could feel the lust pulling him to her. He wanted her again. Would the ache ever dissipate? All he had to do was push her frock out of the way and take her. _

_Scowling, Severus started to pace. Why did it perturb him that she had put a concealment charm on the love bite? He pulled his wand out and pointed at her throat, removing the charm. _

_She moaned again, her eyes fluttering this time. _

_He stepped back, his eyes never leaving Hermione, and he Disapparated._

Severus stood in the shower now, trying to scrub the scent of her from him. Even though he'd used a cleansing spell he could still smell her. It was as though she had marked him. Stepping out of the shower, he readied himself for battle. The twins were going to suffer for their indiscretion, and Severus would be able to rid himself of this detestable yearning to lose himself inside Hermione Granger.

--

Fred Weasley was stocking some Canary Creams on the shelf when he heard the bell to the front door ring.

Ah! A customer.

Turning around, Fred's smile fell. All he saw was the familiar billowing robes of Snape before he felt himself being bound with magical ropes. He would have called out but a gag covered his mouth.

"Tell me why I shouldn't use an Unforgivable on you, boy," Snape hissed, dragging whichever twin he had managed to capture by his collar into the back storeroom. It wouldn't do for anybody to walk by and witness what he was about to do. "Where is your twin?"

Fred mumbled something unintelligible and Snape pulled the gag away.

"He's not here," Fred squeaked.

Severus raised his wand.

"It was my turn to open this morning," Fred volunteered and winced.

Scowling, Severus lowered his wand. "What kind of lust potion did you put in the punch last night?"

Fred squirmed as the ropes grew tighter. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Leave my brother alone," a low, dangerous voice warned behind Severus.

CRACK! CRACK!

Years as a spy did not go to waste as Severus Disapparated and Apparated behind George Weasley. "_Expelliarmus_!" he shouted.

George's wand flew from his hand and landed with a clatter on the floor.

"_Incarcerous_!"

With a furious smirk, Severus watched as George fell on top of his twin, his hands and feet bound tightly.

"You big bat! Let us go!" George shouted, struggling to right himself.

What was with today's youth? This was the second time this morning he'd been insulted by an ex-student.

"You git!" Fred called out.

Kneeling in front of them, Severus leveled his wand at their faces. "I'll leave you alone once you give me the antidote," Severus lied. Once they gave him the antidote, he was going to make them pay a steep price.

"What are you blathering on about, Snivellus?" George asked.

Damn Black to hell for sticking that appellation on him. "Watch your tone, Weasley," Severus growled. "If it weren't for your mother, I would hex you beyond recognition. You never know, I may reconsider. I know one of you spiked the punch with a lust potion. Now give me the antidote!"

"You're barmy!" George challenged. "Absolutely barmy."

"There isn't one," Fred whispered, his complexion ashen with shock.

Shoving George off his brother, Severus pulled Fred up by the collar of his fancy robe. "What did you use?"

"Don't say anything, Fred!"

"Put a sock in it, George. You saw them. You puked after watching them shag. Mum and Dad are still going at it like kneazles in heat. Maybe Professor Snape can help us." Fred continued to struggle against his bindings.

Severus frowned.

"Shut up, Fred!" George shouted. "We could get into serious trouble."

"You're already in serious trouble, Weasley," Severus scolded hotly, realizing that the only way he was going to get the information he needed was Legilimency. He held Fred's head still.

As if sensing what his ex-professor was about to do, Fred slammed his eyes shut.

"Open your eyes," Severus growled. "It's the only way I can help you dunderheads and, most importantly, myself out of this disaster."

Fred's eyes snapped open as if he had finally realized that Snape was their only way out of their mess.

"Legilimens," Severus muttered sharply, delving quickly into the prat's thoughts and memories.

_Greed was a temptation they were too weak to resist._

"_Think of all the money we could make," George said longingly. "If we had the potion ready by Valentine's Day, we would be the richest wizards of our age. No one would be lonely. No one would be searching. We would be heroes!"_

_Fred kept shaking his head. "I can see it now. We'd be rich heroes in Azkaban. Lust potions are dark magic, and love potions are even more illegal. Is the Ministry of Magic going to overlook that when we try to market it?"_

_George was undeterred. "Look at all the time everyone would save! No more awkward dates. Everlasting love! It would be like a compass, showing people the way to their one true love. All we have to do is combine various aspects of the two potions and tweak them with a touch of arbutis. It should work. We'll use Mum and Dad as the control subjects."_

"_I don't know," Fred replied slowly, not wanting to encourage George._

Severus trembled. It was worse than he had imagined. He wasn't just dealing with a lust potion. He was dealing with a love potion too.

"Go deeper, boy. Which potions did you combine? What kind of spells did you use?" Severus asked. "Under which conditions were they brewed?" There were multitudes of love and lust potions out there, some of them utter rubbish. He needed to see what ingredients they used and…

Bloody hell! An image of a room full of books filled his mind, a simmering cauldron hanging over a blue flame. One of the imbeciles was pouring ingredients into the cauldron haphazardly as if preparing a common stew for an evening meal and dancing around the room. They were laughing and joking about their younger siblings. One twin slipped, bumping into the cauldron, the volatile ingredients sloshing over the rim and into the fire.

Flames darted around the room, setting stacks of books on fire. One of the redheaded dunderheads grabbed the cauldron and took it off the fire while the other ran about putting the fires out. The image faded as it clouded over with smoke.

Severus withdrew from Fred's mind, more perplexed then ever.

"We lost all of the research," Fred whispered, his voice shaky. "There were several potions and the spell work was complicated. The master ingredient list was destroyed in the fire."

Seething with unbridled anger, Severus righted himself and stood over their still-bound bodies. Waving his wand, the twins magically stood up. "What were you trying to create? What was the purpose of the potion?" he asked between clenched teeth.

George finally broke his silence. "It was basically a spell to enhance sexual…er…encounters between lovers. We used a standard binding spell and a devotion spell so that anyone who drank the potion would be unaffected until their…er…intended drank the potion too. It's basically a test to see if spouses are right for one another. Apparently it makes people who fancy one another act on their true feelings. Who would have thought that Hermione would fancy you? The potion is obviously faulty. Hermione would never go for the likes of you."

Severus leered at George. "Her tastes have obviously matured beyond the basal nature of the Weasley charm."

Fred looked down at his feet. "How is Hermione? Is she okay?"

Severus glared at George's twin. "I Oblivated her."

"But she fancies you," Fred said.

Severus rolled his eyes, his irritation growing.

With a twinkle in his eye, George blurted the blatant truth. "More importantly, you fancy her!"

"I have never, do not, and never will fancy Miss Granger," Severus stated slowly as if trying to get some elusive point across to an unintelligent person. "That _girl_ was the bane of my existence for seven years. How—"

"That's the main property of the potion, Severus," George interrupted cheekily as he continued pulling on his ropes. "Certainly a _renowned_ Potions Master, such as yourself, recognized the symptoms of a lust potion. Lust is anything but subtle. We just tweaked that part of the potion a bit."

"Watch your tone, Weasley," Severus warned, pointing his wand at George's throat.

Fred, still bound tightly hand and foot, hopped toward his twin in the hopes of stopping Snape from hexing George. "Please, Professor. We need your help."

Lowering his wand as Fred bumped into him, Severus glared at them. "Finite Incantatem."

Now free of their bindings, the twins started backing away from their ex-professor.

"Where is the antidote?" Severus asked wearily.

"We don't have one," Fred announced, ducking behind George. "All of our research was destroyed in the fire. Luckily the potion was finished, but –"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You combined two illegal potions without developing the antidote?" Severus asked incredulously. "Did nothing I say in the years you two darkened the desks in my classroom permeate your thick skulls? That is the basic philosophy of potions' research! Antidote first."

George fingered his wand nervously. "It's a ridiculous practice. It's like trying to write the end of a book first. We were going to make the antidote after the initial test subjects –"

Leveling his wand against the redheaded wizard's throat, Severus seethed. "Before I take both of you in front of the Wizengamot, you will turn over whatever research survived the fire and submit to regular Legilimency sessions so that I may derive the answers from your primitive brains."

It would be a tedious process, one that would likely fail. But he had to try something for he could feel the need to seek Hermione out growing stronger.

--

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four –

Lost in thought, Hermione walked along the cobblestone pavement of Diagon Alley. Her dreams over the past few weeks had bordered on pornographic, most of them revolving around a dark-haired stranger and their mad, headlong rush of heated lust. She really did need to acquire a lover.

Thankfully it was Saturday and she didn't have to work. Weaving her way between the morning rush of witches and wizards and clutching the books she hoped to trade in, Hermione stumbled.

A firm hand grasped her upper arm and stopped her from falling.

"All right, Hermione?" Harry asked amusedly, laughter in his bright green eyes.

"Harry!" she replied excitedly. "How long has it been? A few days?"

"You must be on your way to Flourish and Blotts," he stated, ignoring the teasing sarcasm in her voice. "You always tend to be a bit spacey when you're thinking about books."

Hermione blushed. He knew her too well. "Guilty as charged. Are you going to arrest me and take me in front of the Wizengamot personally?"

"That would make Rita Skeeter's day, wouldn't it?" Harry chuckled mirthlessly, the laughter leaving his eyes. "For me to arrest one of my best friends?"

Slipping her arm through his, Hermione smiled in sympathy. "So how is work going?"

"Ever since the Collins incident, they've got me shuffling paperwork," Harry muttered. "Tonks swears it's just temporary, but I'm seriously considering a career change."

She could hear the hurt in his voice. He'd always wanted to be an Auror. Unfortunately, his celebrity status prevented him from performing his job. It was as though Harry was finally realizing that the Ministry hired him because of who he was.

"Maybe you should try politics," Hermione said.

Harry gave her a look that told her to stop joking around.

"Oh, right. Sorry," she murmured.

He ran a hand through his unruly hair in frustration. "I was thinking of transferring, but…"

"Where would you transfer to?" she asked, stopping in the middle of the lane, oblivious to the witches and wizards brushing past them.

"No where," he grumbled. "I could never leave…her."

Harry kicked the toe of his boot into the bricks. Something was definitely bothering him. Casting a disillusionment charm around them, Hermione pulled him into the nearest alley. "Who?"

"Ginny, of course," Harry blurted out. "She drives me barmy, Hermione! The night of the ball, we…er…we kind of got back together, if you know what I mean. We woke up the next morning and she started shouting her head off about big mistakes and not playing the fiddle."

Hermione put her hand over her mouth to keep from giggling. "I think that's playing second fiddle. And how did Luna take being dumped at the ball?"

"Are you nuts? She and Ron went after one another like they…well…like me and Ginny." Harry's blush crept into his cheeks. "Trust me. Luna did not miss me."

Hermione nibbled her bottom lip and frowned. Luna was fickle but she doubted Luna was fickle enough to forgive Ron's womanizing ways.

"To make matters worse," Harry continued. "Ginny won't answer the floo.

Giving a long-suffering sigh, she realized the conversation was going to take longer than a casual one and was getting ready to take off the disillusionment charm when she happened to look down the alleyway.

A familiar black wavy robe caught her eye and her stomach gave that all-too-common lurch on the rare occasions she found herself faced with her unpleasant ex-Potions Master. The lurch was more like a tug and she momentarily forgot Harry was standing next to her and bemoaning his misfortunes in love. Hermione swallowed reflexively as Severus stopped mid-stride and peered down the alleyway.

Her breath hitched in her throat for it seemed as though he was staring right at her. Get a grip on the schoolgirl crush, Granger!

Her eyes darted to Harry and she nodded her head as if she were listening to every droning word he was whining on with. Lonely? Ha! You don't even have a clue, Harry Potter, she mused quietly. Hermione looked down the alley and her shoulders slumped in disappointment. Snape was gone.

"Why don't we go to the Leaky Cauldron for a butterbeer?" she offered quickly. Perhaps a firewhisky for Harry.

--

It was futile and he knew it. Severus might as well have spent the last few weeks picking through the minds of blast-ended skrewts, rather than the Weasley twins. Undoubtedly skrewts were more intelligent than those imbeciles were. They had obviously cheated in his class. There was no fathomable way they could have passed without cheating. While he was delving into their minds, he would need to find out how they had cheated.

Weeks wasted! He was no closer to formulating an antidote then he was finding a cure for lycanthropy.

Standing outside Gringotts, Severus paced. It would take decades to find out the exact formulas those two dunderheads had combined by using Legilimency. Hopefully the potion would wear off soon and he would discontinue feeling the urge to strip himself and Miss Granger bare and copulate with her like some wild animal in heat. In the meantime, he would settle for just being near her.

But how to be near her without arousing her ever-questioning curiosity.

Severus had soon found a way to be in need of her professional services. After all, he'd cursed the locket himself. He'd spent the entire morning heaping curses on the locket so that it would take her some time to undo them all.

The plan was simple. He'd retain her services as a curse breaker and feed her some absurd story that the locket was very dear to him and he couldn't possibly let it out of his sight. He'd say it was a family heirloom. She needn't know he'd just bought the stupid trinket from a Muggle jeweler.

Pocketing the locket, Severus strode into Gringotts and got in line. He tapped his foot impatiently, wanting nothing more than to bypass the goblins to get to her. It never failed. Saturday was always a big day at the bank. If he owned a watch, he would have pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at it. His impatience grew as the drive to be with Hermione gnawed at him.

The plan was flawless. He'd get her alone and woo her.

"Woo her?" he scoffed softly, earning an odd look from an elderly witch in front of him. He gave the witch his trademark scowl as she continued to glare at him. "I'd rather seduce her," he purred.

The old witch turned around with a "humpf." Seeing a waiting goblin, she hurried to the next window.

"Next!" a goblin shouted from the end of the row.

Once Severus stood before the Gringotts' employee, he pulled several precious stones out of his pocket and placed them on the counter. "I need to make a deposit," he stated.

The goblin started inspecting the stones with greedy interest.

"And I would like to speak with Miss Hermione Granger," Severus stated simply, as if it were a passing thought and not at all important.

"About what?" the goblin asked over his long, pointed nose.

"I wish to retain her services." He set the locket on the counter and looked pointedly at the banker. "I need the curses lifted off this locket so that I may present it to my…intended. Naturally I would pay the commission fee and a generous resolution fee once she removed the curses from this delicate heirloom."

The goblin scraped his fingers over the unassuming jewelry. "Leave it here. We'll send word once the curses have been broken."

Darting his hand out, Severus snatched the locket away from the goblin. "I'm afraid I can not let this out of my sight. It…means too much to me," he lied.

"I could get our senior curse breaker to look at it for you and give you an estimate." The goblin reached for the object.

Severus pocketed the necklace. "I would prefer if Miss Granger looked at it."

"She's unavailable."

"I must insist on seeing her," Severus murmured softly, his obsidian eyes glaring into the goblin's beady ones. "Miss Granger is an ex-student and I would prefer if only she handled it. I…trust her abilities."

The goblin seemingly became disinterested in the conversation for he looked over Severus' shoulder and peered at the line that was becoming longer. "Miss Granger isn't here."

Severus slammed his fist down on the counter. "Then why didn't you just tell me that to begin with?" he growled.

"You didn't ask if she was here," the goblin said, shooing Severus away. "Next!"

--

Severus stormed out of Gringotts and made his way toward the Leaky Cauldron. He was furious and frustrated. Why had he Obliviated her? Why had he eased her of the persistent ache that strummed through his every thought? Her! It was all he was able to think about. Even his plan for revenge on the Weasley twins was secondary now.

Revenge was too good for them. Killing them would be easier, although less satisfying. He needed to compose himself before he arrived at Hermione's flat. It wasn't as though he could use the Imperius Curse on her and have his way with her. He needed her willing. He wanted her willing. He wanted her writhing beneath him, calling out his name as he brought her orgasm after crushing orgasm.

"Bloody hell!" he muttered under his breath, thankful for his robe. He could feel his desire stir for the clueless witch, a desire he knew she was fully capable of reciprocating. So he kept on walking and soon found himself entering the back door to the Leaky Cauldron.

Severus paid little attention to the patrons in the smoky tavern as he made his way toward the front door. But a soft feminine laugh caught his attention and he stopped in mid-stride. Hermione!

She chuckled again, this time her laughter accompanied by male laughter. His Hermione! Severus clenched and unclenched his fist and reached for his wand. He was going to hex the bollocks off the wizard who was with her.

--

Hermione laughed at Harry's joke and ignored the flutter of nerves in her stomach. Thankfully her friend had opted for the gentlemanly route and not gone into any further detail about the ball's events. But that didn't exclude him from discussing Ron and Luna's adventure.

"They didn't even have the common sense to erect a disillusionment charm," Harry stated jovially. "There they were on the dancing floor, snogging like two wild teenagers. The Minister kept clearing his throat rather loudly. McGonagall looked as though she was going to be ill. Finally, Dumbledore conjured the charm and no one could see them. But everybody knew they were still there. So, nobody would go near that part of the dance floor."

"Please stop," Hermione gasped, almost doubled over with laughter. She grabbed Harry's forearm in a silent plea for him to stop. A dark shadow loomed over them. With a startled gasp, Hermione pulled her hand away and looked up.

Snape stood there, arms crossed over his chest and his trademark scowl firmly in place. Feeling as though she'd been caught not paying attention in class, Hermione scooted her seat away from Harry.

"Hello, Professor Snape," Harry stated slowly, a note of curiosity in his inflection.

"Potter," Severus growled in reply.

Heat suffused her cheeks and nether regions, mockingly reminding her that her lusty schoolgirl crush was still unyieldingly in force.

Counseling! She needed counseling. How was it that the mere sight of him could still elicit such a response?

"Miss Granger," Severus said her name with a sensual severity that immediately brought visions of his classroom and the multitude of desks that could be wiped clean of cauldrons and potion ingredients. Only in her wickedest dreams did she envision him shagging her on said desks in every way imaginable.

"Yes," she whispered shakily, clutching her mug of butterbeer tightly.

"I need to speak with you," Severus announced. "Alone."

His tone was barely civil and her temper flared. "As you can see, I am not alone. If you wish to speak with me you will need to owl me to arrange a meeting. I am no longer your student. Therefore, I no longer tremble when you wish me to jump when you say so."

Holding her breath, she stared down at her butterbeer. This was humiliating. Harry wasn't stupid. He would guess how she felt as soon as the giant bat went away.

His sleeve brushed her shoulder as he reached between her and Harry, and she jumped. She glanced at his well-manicured hands with the slightly callused fingers, and a mental image of sucking on those fingers suddenly popped into her mind. The imagined sound of his low groan almost made her moan out loud.

He withdrew his hand slowly, leaving in its wake a small golden locket. "Do not put this around your neck, Miss Granger, for surely it will strangle you before you can utter a spell of protection."

Harry cleared his throat. "Would you two like to be alone?" he asked in a teasing fashion.

"Yes!" Severus barked.

"No," Hermione shouted over her ex-professor's declaration.

"The locket is cursed," Severus explained. "I find myself in need of your services so that I may award…my…lover with this token."

His lover! Jealousy stirred within her and she pushed the locket away. "I'm under contract with Gringotts. You'll need to speak to Eglerns. He's in charge of the curse breaking department and he can make sure you're matched with the proper breaker."

Severus sighed. "This locket is a family heirloom and very dear to me. I could not suffer the absence of it for that long. I would require the work be done as quickly as possible, but under my close supervision. I will, of course, pay double the contractual fees, if you agree to work on this in your spare time."

Still seething with jealousy, Hermione opened her mouth to refuse. Even bringing in double fees didn't appeal to her.

"And I will pay ten thousand Galleons upon unlocking my treasure."

Hermione gaped and Harry whistled.

His final fee would be half of her annual salary. It was a tempting carrot, indeed. "I –"

"I would need for you to start work on it immediately. Today, if possible," Severus stated assuredly.

Feeling the lure of his offer lull her into submission, Hermione nibbled on her lower lip.

"Perhaps we could adjourn to your place so that you could start working right away?"

Hermione picked the locket up and turned it over in her hand.

"You'd be a fool not to take the offer, 'Mione," Harry stated. "Don't worry about me. I need to go see if I can get a hold of Ginny."

Closing her hand over the necklace, Hermione scrapped her chair back and stood up. "I accept," she uttered half-heartedly, and extended her hand out to her former nemesis.

Severus grabbed her hand firmly in his. But instead of shaking it, he kissed it gently, letting his lips linger against her skin longer than necessary.

A/N – I can not thank Kathy Rose enough for picking through this for me. Special thanks goes out to Larilee who was gracious enough to read through each chapter and give me a few pointers here and there.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five –

Severus followed Hermione into her flat, which consisted of one large room and a small kitchenette. Two of the walls were lined with shelves, and on those shelves were volumes of books. It reminded him of his private study. There was a worn couch and some mismatched chairs in the center of the room. Off to the side was a large desk and work area, numerous scrolls rolled and stacked on the desk. Against the farthest wall was a twin bed, neatly made and covered with a tattered duvet.

"Surely Gringotts pays you better than this," Severus said, taking off his robe and hanging it the coat rack.

"Please do make yourself at home," Hermione stated with annoyance as she took her robe off to reveal a loose sky-blue blouse and a modest patchwork skirt. She held her hand out in a dramatic fashion. "May I hold the locket please?"

He'd almost forgotten why he had come here, except for the obvious. Seduction. He needed to seduce her. He needed to make her feel what he was feeling. It would not do to suffer this agony alone. "Yes, of course," Severus replied and reached into his pocket to retrieve the locket.

He snatched her wrist with one hand and startled her. Hermione tried to pull away, but he held her wrist firmly, placing the locket gently into the palm of her hand. Before he let go of her wrist, he rubbed a small circle on it, and grinned when she gasped.

Her hand closed gently around the locket, and Severus watched with satisfaction as she retreated. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. She had no clue why she was feeling the way she was. By all imaginable rights, she should despise him. Her reaction to him earlier this morning was proof of her disdain for him.

She needn't know how her scathing remarks repeated in his mind. Severus had always known he was not what one would consider classically handsome. But he had taken care to groom himself before he had set out to find her. It would not do to try to seduce her with the repugnant smell of some potion clinging to his person.

Hermione placed the necklace on an old scale, quickly moving the knobs to adjust the counterweight. "This is odd," she stated as she took a quill out and started scratching the beginnings of her findings on a scroll.

Severus walked over to the desk, hoping she had not discovered his ruse so quickly. "What is it?"

"From what you're telling me, this necklace will choke the wearer. Correct?" Hermione asked, not bothering to look up from her notes.

"Yes," he replied, the cogs in his head turning quickly. Unfortunately, the lust had blurred over his usual cunning. "I believe my great-great-grandmother cursed it. I believe it was her wish to be buried with the trinket."

Hermione's scowl deepened. "Are you certain?"

"Quite," he replied, standing behind her as if challenging her questions. "Why?"

He leered as she squirmed between him and the desk and cleared her throat. She bent ever so slightly over the desk, not in contemplation of the false locket, but in an effort to get away from him. Severus knew he could have her here. He would just need to lift her skirt, roll her knickers down, release himself, and sate the lust within the confines of her wanting sex.

Hermione cleared her throat again, her voice husky when she finally spoke. "The locket doesn't seem that old and it doesn't weigh very much. Perhaps the metal turns heavier to choke the victim once it's worn."

Severus leaned closer, seemingly puzzled by her findings. He inhaled, closing his eyes and losing himself in her scent. Lust laced with anger clouded his sensibilities. "I have a confession to make, Miss Granger," he whispered against the shell of her ear.

"Y-yes?" Hermione stammered, somehow managing to turn around and stare up at him.

Her timid tongue wet her bottom lip and Severus almost forgot the bloody ruse. "The locket may have belonged to my great-grandmother, not my great-great-grandmother."

"She must be very special," Hermione whispered, her eyes lingering on his thin lips.

"Who?" Severus asked, staring into her eyes. If she looked into his eyes, would he be able to resist entering her mind?

Hermione slid away, slipping away with little effort so that the table was between them. "Your lady friend."

"You have no idea," Severus growled in frustration as Hermione walked away from him.

"Who is she?" Hermione questioned softly, standing next to her couch and plucking at the fibers in the furniture.

"No one you know." He leaned against the desk and folded his arms across his chest.

Mimicking his stance, Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "I won't be able to do anything else with the locket. You'll have to bring it to the bank on Monday. All of my tools are there and you would need to finalize the contract with Gringotts."

She was withdrawing from him. Bloody hell! "I'll finalize the contract with Gringotts this afternoon. I need the curses lifted from this locket as soon as possible, but I will not be able to leave it in your care. I have classes, as well. Would you be willing to complete the work at Hogwarts?

"I realize this may be an inconvenience for you, and am willing to compensate you accordingly," he added quickly, seeing her lips purse in refusal.

"I appreciate the offer, Professor, but I—"

"I'm offering a more than generous unlocking fee," he growled menacingly and stalked toward her. "I insist you accommodate my request."

Hermione backed away warily.

"You have nothing here," Severus stated pointedly. "Except books and tattered furniture. I'm offering you a chance to better your finances. You would be –"

"I think you should leave," she said, her tone monosyllabic and flat.

Severus glanced at her hand, which was firmly clutching her wand. He reined in his temper, grabbed the locket, and headed toward the door. "My apologies, Miss Granger. I thought you might desire a challenge in your life. Perhaps I was mistaken."

"I have everything I desire in this room." Hermione waved her hand around the room.

Severus looked around the room with an air of contempt. "And to think everyone had such high expectations for Hogwarts star pupil," he stated sarcastically and left.

--

Hermione stared at the door as if waiting for him to storm back through and realize her mistake. She was surprised he hadn't pounced on her declaration.

I "I have everything I desire in this room,"/I she'd told him. At the time she'd uttered the words they were true. They still were. She wanted him. At first it felt as though she may be coming down with something, but she could no longer deny it. The carnal thoughts running through her mind while he stood behind her bordered on pornographic.

Why him? Why did it have to be him -- the sanctimonious bastard whohad tormented her for seven years during the most challenging time of her life? It was bad enough helping Harry face Voldemort, but studying for NEWTs with him breathing down her neck made matters so much worse. She'd lie awake at night, her young mind troubled with possible scenarios of the final confrontation with Voldemort.

There was one constant throughout.

She prayed for everyone in the Order – for their safe return. But, Severus Snape was different. He'd tormented them all, especially poor Neville. She'd lost so many house points thanks to the Potion Master's penchant to bully Neville. Snape was a cantankerous bastard, but she prayed for his safe return most of all. The silly seventh-year crush had developed into a fixation well into her early adulthood.

She should despise him, but she didn't. She couldn't, especially now, with the rampant, lustful emotions that were stampeding through her carefully structured life.

Hermione snorted. What life? Her social life existed only on an annual basis – the celebratory ball. Her career was laughable. Somebody in her department was going to have to die before she was advanced. Her love life was virtually non-existent. Aside from Ron, she'd never had a serious boyfriend. Her books and Crookshanks were all she had. And she only had him when he decided to make an appearance.

Bleak. That was her outlook in life. She was too frumpy to attract anyone and too intelligent to settle for anything less than what she felt she deserved. Her standards were too high. They were set to the perfection of him – Severus Snape.

Was she too young to resign herself to spinsterhood?

--

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six –

Even as she drifted off to sleep, Hermione knew she should have taken some Dreamless Sleep Draught. But she was out and the Apothecary was closed. The main event of the day had swirled in her mind all day long. Snape's behavior had been too bizarre not to spill over into her dreams. Add that to her already needy hormones and an erotic dream was sure to follow.

_Severus said nothing as he pulled her through the halls of Hogwarts. Hermione stared at her feet, unable to see them as an eerie mist crawled along the castle floor. She'd stopped feeling ashamed once he'd sheathed himself inside her heated body in the garden. Never before had she'd felt the fullness or the raw, sexual heat flow through her. _

_Once was not enough. This was some sordid, fulfilling dream anyway, right?_

_Just as Hermione thought they could go no deeper into the bowels of Hogwarts, Severus stopped. Pulling out his wand, he tapped the stone wall and whispered an incantation. A heavy, wooden door appeared and opened to admit them._

_His hand on her wrist relaxed and he walked away. Hermione watched, her eyes wide with wonder as he walked around the room, lighting candles. _

_Shadows danced on the walls and ceilings and concealed their master with ease. Hermione pulled her robe around her shoulders as the chill in the dungeon finally seeped into her flesh. Or was it nerves? What could she possibly be nervous about? _

_She had already shagged Snape in the garden, and opened herself for his scathing ridicule. It was doubtful her pride would ever recover from tonight's lapse in judgment. More candles were lit and the soft light illuminated a large bed. Hermione could barely make out the color of the duvet, but knew in her heart that Severus would have nothing but Slytherin green. _

_His strong hands clasped her shoulders from behind and his breath brushed her cheek. "You're overdressed," his silken voice purred while his hands pulled her scarlet robe from her shoulders. The material fell like a satin pool around her ankles. _

_Moisture pooled between her legs and her breath caught when she heard and felt the rasp of her zipper being lowered. His lips followed his hands along the path of her shoulders as he removed the garment down her arms. _

"_Severusss," Hermione hissed through clenched teeth. She didn't dare unclench her jaw. Her teeth might chatter. _

_Once she was naked, she could feel his naked flesh against her back and wanted to reach back and touch him, but he was holding her arms. Thrusting her bum backwards, Hermione smiled when she felt him tremble. _

"_Careful, 'Mione," he growled against her neck. "Or I'll bend you over where you stand and shag you until you cry for me to stop." His hands kneaded her breasts and his fingertips plucked her nipples. "Or is that what you want? Is the lust driving you insane?"_

_She heard him mumble something else but couldn't quite make out the words. _

_He kissed a path along one arm and onto her palm, sucking her fingers into his mouth one by one. Once he was finished cleaning her fingers, he cupped his hand over hers and guided it to her body. For the breath of a moment, she lost the warm contact with his body. _

_He'd reached for his wand. She could see it in his hand now._

"_Accio Mirror," he whispered, keeping her palm flat against her stomach. _

_Her eyes locked with his in the mirror as he rubbed his cheek against her shoulder. The gesture was gentle, almost caring. His hand slid hers lower, his fingers intertwining with hers. _

_She gulped when she felt his fingertips brush against her folds. _

"_Touch yourself, Hermione," he instructed, his dark eyes boring into hers in the reflective surface of the mirror._

_Without hesitation, he slid her fingers into her moist slit and rubbed her clitoris. She closed her eyes._

"_Keep them open," Severus insisted, lightly biting her shoulder and stroking himself and rubbing the crown of his cock on the upper part of her buttocks. _

_Hermione whimpered, wanting more than fingers brushing over her clit. "I want more," she moaned, grinding her ass against him. _

"_Yes," he agreed, pushing her away from him and toward the bed. _

_She was surprised to see the mirror move with them. Obviously he'd charmed it so that he could watch. Just as she was crawling onto the bed, a harsh hand grabbed her waist. She moaned as she felt the tip of him probe her sex. Looking into the mirror, she could see him mounting her._

_As long as she would live, Hermione would never forget the look on his face, much less the feel of him sliding into her slick orifice. He stayed embedded inside her. As if momentarily distracted, his hands ran the course of her back and bum._

_Hermione tried to lean forward, trying to create the friction she so desperately needed. But he held her to him. She looked at him questioningly, his somber eyes capturing her amber ones. It was as if a cold hand brushed her thoughts. She tried to look away, but soon found herself unable to do so. _

_He was inside her, in the literal sense. Severus swam past the aphrodisia that overrode her intellect and guided the lust. He went deeper, searching for something else._

_She tore her eyes away from the mirror and felt his tenuous grasp slip from her thoughts. Looking anywhere but the mirror, Hermione pushed back against Severus, who finally grabbed hold of her hips with both hands and thrust into her. _

"_Gods," she whimpered, finally able to feel the entirety of his length touch her cervix. _

_He withdrew slowly, the head teasing her entrance. "Look into the mirror," his voice coaxed forcefully._

_Hermione thrust back against him, not realizing her small victory. _

With a hissed curse, Severus pounded into her. It was a punishing pace, she was certain. But Hermione didn't care. The need was too great and the pleasure was worth every scathing remark she knew would come after this frenzied mistake.

Opening her eyes, Hermione moaned, the erotic dream fading before she could remember any details.

--

Hermione strode into the vault that doubled as her department's office. With so many rare, yet cursed artifacts, it paid to be careful. Her frustration with the day's events grew. Not only had she had the best, sexually fulfilling dream and couldn't remember it, she had spent way too much time in the shower. And now her supervisor, Eglerns, wasn't here.

A loud bang sounded in the next room, and Hermione jumped. "Hello? Are you okay?" she asked, daring to take a peek into the antechamber.

"Yes, yes," a gruff voice assured.

She could only see the goblin's backside as he dangled over the edge of a rather large trunk. "Would you like some assistance, Figley?"

As though startled by the question, Figley righted himself and faced Hermione. "What are you doing here?" he asked abruptly.

Hermione looked around the room, suddenly unsure of herself. The vaults looked the same. Had she happened into the wrong one? "I, uh, work here," she stated.

"No you don't," Figley retorted.

She felt as though she'd been punched in the stomach. "Y-yes. I do."

"Head Curse-Breaker Eglerns is not going to be happy," Figley stated, his agitation over the circumstances growing.

"About what?" she asked. "Have I done something wrong?" Feeling the pit in her stomach expand, Hermione tried to piece his comments together. "If this is about the ancient puzzle box, I can explain. I wanted to –"

"You've been reassigned," Figley announced with a sneer, seemingly enjoying the witch's sudden pallor. "Didn't you get your bat this morning?"

Hermione winced. She thought she'd heard a dull thud on her window before she'd left for work, but she'd been running late and ignored it. Her employer was renowned for being cheap – that, and the fact that goblins found owls rather tasty.

"Reassigned?" Hermione questioned. "Where?"

Figley tapped his chin with long fingers in mock contemplation.

Hermione took a calm yet shaky breath, not wanting to be sacked for hexing a co-worker. "Tell me, Figley. Before you have a most unfortunate accident," she stated, fingering her wand.

The goblin scoffed, his narrow little eyes forming mean slits. "Hogwarts," he grumbled in concession. "You've been reassigned to Hogwarts – a private contractor. Eglerns is finalizing the contract now."

Her brows knitted together in a definitive scowl. Would she never be rid of the egotistical, maniacal Potions Master? She'd spent the two years away from Hogwarts and him. Why did fate seem to throw him onto her path now?

He'd seemed so intent yesterday. What was he plotting? Whatever it was, she was sure to find out. Hadn't she spent a rather large portion engaging in "rule-breaking" at his expense? Was this his revenge? Was this her comeuppance?

Part of her was exhilarated. She was going on assignment. This was definitely a step in the right direction for her career plans. The other part, while privately longing for his presence, dreaded being near him. He held sway over her that no one else did, sway she was determined to eliminate.

Professor Snape wouldn't know what hit him.

--

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven– 

She'd tossed and turned all night, even after taking the Dreamless Sleep Draught. Although Hermione's sleep had been dreamless, it was not restful. One question kept repeating in her mind.

Why her?

Why had Severus Snape, dreaded Potions Master extraordinare, singled her out? Any curse breaker would do. If he hadn't crowded her, and if he'd let her have a few more moments with his precious heirloom, Hermione had felt as though she could have broken the curses on it rather easily.

Eglerns had been beside himself once he realized she had missed her bat. Not only had she missed her bat, she'd missed the last Portkey to Hogwarts for the day. Instead of staying at Gringotts for the day and listening to Eglerns scathing comments about her lack of responsibility, Hermione skived off the rest of the day.

After all, she had arrangements she had to make. Her contract was for the duration, until the employer had no need of her services any longer.

She'd had to find a sitter for Crookshanks and had to pack. After those were accomplished, she'd set out to make Severus Snape sit up and take notice of his new employee.

Had she imagined his advances? Was she delusional? Why did she feel the need to humiliate herself? Why did she feel the overwhelming desire to cast an Imperius Curse and have her wicked way with him?

Knowing Snape, he'd probably enjoy that.

So she'd done what any sensible witch would do. She went shopping. She'd bought some new, fancy knickers, colorful ones with matching brassieres. Not that Severus Snape would ever see said knickers.

She'd also bought some new jumpers. Her normal inclination was to buy them loose and baggy, but there was one pink cashmere jumper she just had to have. Yes, it was a little tight across the front, but her work robe would cover her meager assets.

Her clock chimed, signaling an end to her purported semblance of sanity. It was time for her to leave.

--

Severus stalked through the halls of Hogwarts in the foulest of moods. His offer had been more than generous and Eglerns had jumped at the opportunity to boost his department's revenue by a considerable percentage. Getting rid of Miss Granger was an added bonus.

She was late. He'd entered into the contract in an untimely fashion, therefore Miss Granger had missed yesterday's Portkey to Hogsmeade. The desire for her had done anything but diminish. He refused to take Dreamless Sleep Draught, and had suffered the last two nights full of erotic dreams.

He had woken aroused, her scent and taste lingering on the cusp of his dream. She would writhe beneath him, pulling his hair painfully and pushing her moist sex up to his seeking tongue. Her taste was like an opiate, highly addictive and mind-numbingly satisfying.

Unfortunately, his dreams had spawned the nightmare truth. She hated him. Her reaction the morning after was an averment beyond doubt. He was not a handsome man.

But he could be charming, if need be. Hermione only knew him as the dour Potions Master. It was time she thought of him in a more…substantial light. It was a small price to pay for access to her delectable body. The young witch had no clue as to his intentions. Before she could discern them, he would be buried so deeply inside her that she wouldn't remember her name, much less his.

Hagrid had his instructions. The half-giant was to let him know as soon as Hermione entered the castle.

Everything had been arranged for her arrival. She would be his guest and would be residing in his suite. He would seduce her with the subtle skill that would enable her to believe it was all her doing. She would call out his name in passionate response as her flesh admitted his within her.

That's what he wanted – an end to the turmoil that had haunted him ever since he had been poisoned by the two twits.

--

"And this is where Missus will be staying." The house-elf waved its hand around the drafty room of the dungeon.

A shiver ran up and down Hermione's spine as she set her miniaturized luggage on the bed. It wasn't too cold, but she knew where she was – Snape's domain. "Surely there are other accommodations on the grounds?" she persisted. How could she possibly plan to titillate the man if she was living right on top of him?

Hoki squeaked with trepidation. "Bu—but Master…" Her voice trembled as her eyes filled with tears.

Not wishing the elf any further distress, Hermione relented. "The accommodations are perfect," she lied. "Where is Professor Snape?"

Sniffling, the house-elf rubbed her tattered sleeve across her large nose. "Professor teaches dunderheads and will be with Missus soon."

Turning to look at her home-away-from-home, Hermione couldn't help the smile that escaped her lips. Hoki sounded just like Severus when she said dunderheads. Knowing Snape, he'd probably demanded that his personal house-elf refer to the students in such a manner. Typical.

"You're late," a menacing growl issued from the entryway. "I would have thought a Gringotts' employee would be more mindful of the time."

Hermione smiled, sensing his annoyance. "The contract was not finalized until the last Portkey for Hogsmeade had already departed yesterday. I really must meet this lady you are so impatient to bestow your locket upon. She must be very…special."

Severus could hear the slight catch of annoyance in her voice, and smirked. It almost sounded like jealousy. How was that possible? His eyes raked up and down her robe, his mind mentally stripping her naked and imagining the warmth of her body around his.

"She will be," he replied softly, admitting part of his ruse.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked quickly.

"I'm preparing," Severus lied. "Getting my affairs in order, in a manner of speaking. When I do meet 'that special person,' I will not waste time with silly notions of romance or love. I will offer her baubles for proper behavior and reward devotion accordingly. I –"

"How typically Slytherin! A fortunate woman indeed," Hermione's voice dripped with sarcasm, not really caring that she was addressing her employer. Old habits died hard.

"Men always equate romance and love as the same issue. Take 'making love,' for instance. It is possible to have sex with another person and not have one single loving emotion for that person. It's a basic biological drive, primarily driven by lust. What –"

"And just what would you know about one of the deadly seven sins?" With serpentine grace, Severus circled her and eyed her suspiciously. Had she remembered their night together? Was she simply toying with him? His eyes met hers and she averted her gaze.

"N-nothing, sir," Hermione stammered and cleared her throat. "Where is the locket?"

So much for Gryffindor bravery, Severus thought with a satisfied grin. "Hoki will bring it to you once you've settled in," he replied. "I suggest you make yourself comfortable. You may be here a while."

Trying not to leer too much, Severus walked toward the door. He'd added several layers of hexes on the locket. It should keep her busy for weeks to come. Just enough time for him to seduce her. If it weren't for a class of third-years, he would have started the seduction now.

It would be worth the wait.

--

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight – 

Hermione was so close, just two rooms away. Severus cursed. Rolanda would never hear the end of this. If he didn't know better, he'd think the bloody witch had planned this. Hooch had fallen from her broom this morning and had broken her leg. Therefore, Albus had called on him to cover the flying instructor's nightly rounds.

It had been two days and two nights of pure hell, seeing Hermione in the Great Hall for meals and watching her former instructors fawn over her. Most of them had been surprised to see her.

He'd planned an intimate dinner tonight with a side order of seduction. He was tired of waiting. His dreams tormented him and his waking hours were becoming troublesome as well. If said dinner ended up with her in his lap, sighing his name with his burning sex buried deep within her, would that be such a crime?

Tearing off his outer robe in frustration, Severus stormed from his bedchambers to the sitting room. The lighting was dim as he wove his way around the elegant furnishings, and he stubbed his booted foot on the couch. "Bloody hell!"

He glared at her door. She was probably resting peacefully while he was languishing in agony.

Pacing the length of the room, he unbuttoned the top collar of his frock coat. It would be so easy. All he would have to do was open the door, cast the Imperius and have his way with her. He could grab fistfuls of her hair and hold onto her head as he pumped his aching member in and out of her fact-spouting mouth.

It would never work, though. Once would not satisfy the lust, and he couldn't very well Obliviate her again. The risk of causing the "brightest witch of the age" permanent damage was not very appealing in the least.

Hearing a creaking noise, Severus froze, his imagination running wild. Did her door just crack open?

But he wasn't imagining it, as the door opened wider and Hermione swept into the room. Her sheer dressing gown flowed behind her just like her wild hair, leaving little to his imagination. She was no longer the irritating, know-it-all student. She was a woman – one with curves that haunted his every waking moment.

"Oh, good! You're awake," she stated breathlessly, waving the locket in the air. "I think I've almost broken the curses!"

"That's –" impossible, he wanted to say, "exciting news indeed, Miss Granger," he drooled sarcastically.

Hermione crossed the room and held the locket up for his perusal. When he didn't take it, she placed it on the table between them. "My apologies, Professor. I did not intend to intrude on your solitude," she stated solemnly and started to return to her room.

"What's done is done," Severus said, taking a decanter off a table and conjuring two glasses. "In the very least, you could join me for a drink." He poured the golden liquid slowly.

"Please have a seat, Miss Granger. I welcome the company." He forced a smile to his lips.

Hermione nodded her consent and stared wide-eyed at her employer, watching his every movement.

Severus smirked when she jumped as his fingertips brushed against hers as he handed her the glass.

She muttered a quick, "Thank you," and sat on the red velvet settee. Clearing her throat nervously when he sat next to her, Hermione sniffed her drink.

He could barely contain the grin as she inspected her drink. "Do you think I would poison you, Miss Granger?" he asked in challenge.

Hermione paused. "One can never be too careful," she replied.

Severus chuckled, downing the contents of his drink quickly. Setting the glass on the table, he leaned back and put his arm on the back of the settee.

"Constant vigilance," she laughed and sipped the whisky.

"So tell me about your progress," Severus instructed, running his palm across the back of the sofa.

Turning to face him, Hermione took an errant strand of hair and started worrying it between her fingers. "I've gotten through the first two layers of curses. It's as though your great-grandmother wasn't sure about the locket…just kept heaping curse after curse on it."

"She was a bit of an eccentric," he volunteered easily, watching her fingers twirl the silken strand of her hair. His gaze settled upon her lush lips and he watched in fascination as her pink tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip.

He could feel the immediate response to her innocent gesture and growled inwardly, crossing his legs to hide his instantaneous arousal.

"I think her 'eccentric' behavior is what is causing me the most difficulty," she replied. "I normally study the history of the item before I go about attempting to lift curses. But I skipped my research this time around for a more direct approach, seeing as you're in such a hurry." Hermione started to fan herself. "Did you cast a warming spell?"

The young witch darted off the couch and walked quickly to a row of books.

Severus scowled and didn't answer her.

"I-I hope you don't mind, but I borrowed one of your books," she stammered, keeping her back toward him and showing keen interest in the cracked spines of his library.

He stalked her. He would not be denied now. Walking up behind her, Severus pressed against her back, his body flush with hers, his arousal pressed against the swell of her buttocks. As though he were wrapping himself around her, he smiled. Hermione was trembling, her breathing husky and rapid.

He reached for a book. "Allow me to recommend something for you," he purred seductively. Paying such close attention to his soon-to-be lover, he paid no mind to the book he selected.

She turned around, pinned effectively between him and the shelves. Her cinnamon eyes asked so many questions as he stared into their depths.

"P-professor?" she sighed, her hands pressing against his chest, yet not pushing him away.

Severus swooped down, capturing her lips with his. He could have come right then, but there was still so much he wanted to do to her. Even though it was his doing, he wanted to punish her for forgetting him. The kiss was teasing, his teeth pulling her bottom lip between his. Her mouth opened willingly for him as he took what she instinctively offered him.

Hermione groaned, pushing her tongue against his in wanton welcome.

Bunching her nightgown in his hand, he pulled it to the crux of her thighs and slid his hand under it. He needed her. There would be no time for her, the clueless witch. Only he knew why they burned for one another. She had not suffered like he had.

Hermione shifted, raising one of her legs to grant him permission.

Breaking the kiss, Severus nipped his way along her jaw to the sensitive shell of her ear. "You have no idea, do you?" he murmured, his long fingers pushing the silk of her panties to one side and brushing her curls.

"Please," Hermione moaned, shuddering in his arms and pushing against his chest.

"That's right." Severus slid a finger between her weeping feminine seam. "My proud Gryffindor. Beg me for it." He suckled her neck and marked her.

She writhed in his arms, twisting and turning. "Merlin's Beard, you're wet." Palming the weight of one of her breasts with one hand, Severus reached between them with his other and released his needy sex.

Hermione groaned as if in pain, her movements passionate and violent. "P-professor," she gasped, as he stroked his fingers deep inside her and rubbed his thumb over her swollen nub. Her eyes closed and Severus could feel the spasms of her heated sex around his seeking digits.

Weeks of frustration conquered his calm reserve as he pulled his fingers from her. Her eyes formed desire-laden slits as she peered at him. Lifting his fingers to his nose, he inhaled sharply and darted his tongue across his glistening fingers for her taste. "Gods, I've missed this."

--

Hermione watched in fascination as Snape cleaned his fingers. The dreamlike quality of their frantic actions did not escape her, and if she never woke up, she would not care. Her body hummed in perfect harmony, ever fiber of her universe in desperate want of this man. Every fiber, except her stomach.

It lurched and roiled, not used to whiskey and the heady smell of sex in the air. The shelves bit into her back. She no longer cared about guarding against him for she would give him anything he asked.

Closing her eyes, she tossed her head back as he ground his knee against the apex of her thighs and nuzzled her neck. He tugged on her nightgown, grousing in a low voice about how inconvenienced he'd become.

It thrilled her – the loss of control, as she heard the material of her dressing gown being ripped in two. He was out of control, mumbling nonsensical phrases against her flesh.

She could feel his hard length rub against her as he claimed her breast with bruising fingers. He plucked her nipple to a fine peak and she winced. They'd been so tender lately.

Snape pulled away and Hermione thought for certain that she would melt into a puddle. But he stooped and picked her up.

"Perhaps my chambers would be better suited for this," he whispered against her cheek.

The sudden change in orientation caused the room to start spinning. In an effort to stay the dizziness and nausea, she closed her eyes. It only worsened, and Hermione pushed against his shoulder. "Put me down!" she pleaded, wiggling in his arms.

Severus did so reluctantly, trying to pull her against him. With a violent push, she ran to her bedroom and into the loo, where she lost her evening meal.

--

TBC

A/N -- Thanks for all the reviews!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine –

With a vicious jerk and colorful phrase, Severus pulled his pants up, and walked into Hermione's bedchamber. He could hear her retching and he scowled. The Fates were mocking him. Was this his lot in life? To lust after a woman who could never care for him, who found him so physically repugnant, she vomited at the thought of being intimate with him?

This was just more material for him to present to the Wizengamot when he filed his complaint against George and Fred Weasley. Physical suffering!

The sound of violent retching finally stopped, but he hesitated at the door. It would not do to pick up where they had left off. She obviously found him repulsive.

_But she responded to you, _a lusty voice reminded Severus. _She even came. _

Water was running in the other room, hopefully signaling an end to her honest yet disappointing reaction.

It was time he steeled himself against his baser instincts and lust-induced haze surrounding Hermi—Miss Granger. She did not want him. She never would. This had been a selfish mistake – one that was easily rectified. She was as much a victim as he was in this twisted turn of events. He never should have brought her here.

The door opened, and a pale and visibly shaken woman walked out.

Severus put on his best air of indifference. "Are you ill, Miss Granger?"

Shocked eyes met his, yet quickly looked away.

He didn't miss the look in her eye, the look that told him what she thought of him.

"I-I'm f-fine, sir," she stammered. "I have been feeling nauseous lately. So I skipped dinner. I'm not used to whiskey, either."

His dark eyes raked across her body, noting that she had magically mended her nightgown and pulled back her hair. He could also see his mark upon the delicate flesh of her neck. If she stayed here much longer, he could not be responsible for his actions.

Backing away from her, Severus reached for the door handle. "I shan't disturb you any further, Miss Granger. I'll have the house elves bring a potion and some broth to settle your stomach. Your services are no longer required here. There is a Portkey to London in the morning. I suggest you be ready for it. Good evening."

--

She watched as Snape backed out of the room and closed the door behind him, his parting words barely registering over the desire strumming through her body. The desire was quickly replaced by embarrassment at his cool demeanor and sudden departure. Feeling as though she were still on fire, she lay down on her bed and closed her eyes.

It didn't help matters that the room had started to spin again.

What game was he playing? Was he trying to prove some maddening point? Was it just another lesson in humiliation?

_He wants you, _a husky inner voice chanted. _You had the evidence of his arousal pressed against you. He yearns for you just as you yearn for him._

Hermione shook the doubts and speculation from her mind. Maybe Snape wasn't as immune as he pretended to be. She'd seen a side of him she didn't even think existed. Now that she knew better, perhaps there was more to explore. Perhaps…

Perhaps it was time to adopt some Slytherin tactics and exploit the Professor's weakness.

--

Walking into his private chambers, Severus scowled. Not only had his students reached an all-time high for idiocy, it was as though they had sensed his loss of focus. Hopefully his sanity would return since the object of his distraction had taken the Portkey to London this morning. He could do this. He had lasted this long without her. He would be perfectly content to spend the rest of his days as he had before George and Fred Weasleys' potion.

Instead of pursuing Hermione Granger, he would dedicate the rest of life to making the lives of the twins an eternal hell.

Thoughts of hexing the two responsible for his predicament brought a smile to his lips, which quickly fell as he stalked into the sitting room.

Enchanted candles floated in the air, illuminating the numerous books, which lined the walls of the room. Several books were strewn about in a methodical fashion over the table and settee.

There was no cause for alarm. His house elf must have been dusting and gotten distracted. Severus sniffed the air, imagining Hermione's scent wafting in the air. Inspecting the volumes on the table, Severus noticed the gleaming metal of the locket. He picked it up and turned it over in his palm. 

"Oh, hello, Professor Snape," Hermione's voice greeted him from the doorway to her chambers.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice venomous. Severus backed away, his eyes taking in her appearance. She no longer wore her shapeless work robes. In their place were tight Muggle jeans and an even tighter pink sweater, the likes of which looked as though it would pop open with the slightest flick of his wand. Her breasts strained against the material, begging for his touch.

"A contract is a contract, Professor," she said, brushing past him and climbing up the ladder to replace a book.

The sway of her bum enticed him, and a swift memory of him molding that flesh flooded his crotch. With a growl and a swift flick of his wrist, he moved his robe over his erection. "What are you going on about, Miss Granger? I contracted you to break the curses on my locket. Yesterday, you said that were close to a breakthrough, did you not? I no longer require your services."

Hermione climbed down the ladder and turned toward him, stooping over and gathering more books. "You signed a contract with Gringotts, not me. I can't leave until my employer recalls me. I haven't received a bat from Eglerns, informing me of any new assignments."

He barely heard her words as he concentrated on her lovely hair. It was piled on top of her head, soft ringlets surrounding her neck and face. Lovely? Bloody hell! He needed to go to Knockturn Alley and get laid. He'd actually thought her bushy hair was lovely.

"Besides," she continued, seemingly oblivious to his volatile state. "The locket is proving to be most difficult. I haven't made any progress on it today."

"What?" he questioned incredulously. "Weren't you just saying last night that you had most of the curses broken?"

Hermione put the books away, carefully setting them in their proper places. Turning around, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Typical," she scolded with a demure smile. "I told you I normally research before I start working. Do you ever listen?"

Severus pocketed the locket, his irritation growing. "I no longer require your services, Miss Granger. I will contact Eglerns tomorrow morning and cancel the contract."

Her eyes widened and she licked her lips, quickly closing the distance between them. "Please don't, sir," she whispered shakily.

Taking a step back, Severus scowled. "I do not need –"

Hermione took a tentative step toward him. "Please," she pleaded, placing her hand on his forearms. "This assignment means so much to me."

Severus smirked. "I don't see how this assignment differs from any other."

"This is my first on-site assignment. If you cancel the contract, it'll reflect poorly on my performance." With each word, she took liberties, pressing her body against his. "Unless you're unhappy with my performance, sir," she whispered against his ear.

He clutched her upper arms viciously. "What do you think you're doing, Miss Granger?" he hissed between clenched teeth and stared into the bottomless brown depths of her eyes.

Severus watched as she worried her bottom lip with her teeth, thoughts of tearing their clothing off and taking what she so readily offered running roughshod over his honorable intentions.

"Making sure my performance measures up," she purred, the moist heat of her breath caressing his ear.

He gasped as he felt her shift against him, brushing her body against his arousal.

She darted her tongue out and licked his ear lobe. "Something definitely measures up," she murmured with a breathless chuckle.

Her scent. Her warmth. Her invitation. All were enticing. But the truth remained. She despised him. In the end she would only hate him.

_What does it matter? _a randy voice asked. _Take what she offers. _

_She is under the influence of a potion, _his logic argued as he relaxed his hold on her.

Licking along his jaw to his lips, Hermione groaned against them. "Has anyone ever told you that you have very sexy lips."

Ignoring the fact that her words sounded like dialogue out of a cheap romance novel, Severus pulled her against him and smashed his lips upon hers. There was no finesse or teasing as he lost himself to the need. She won control of the kiss, opening her mouth under his and pushing her tongue against his lips.

Just a taste, he promised himself, his hands cupping her ass and pulling her even closer.

She moaned into his mouth and he sipped at the sound greedily. One of her hands had gotten free.

_Bloody hell! _was his last conscious thought as he felt her hand around his aching shaft. Instinct guided him from there as he thrust his hips against her palm.

She was truly talented. She had managed to pull his robe up and snake her hand into his trousers without him being any wiser for it. Just her touch inflamed him. He was so close, the edge of release within his grasp.

Severus broke the kiss and tore at his robe. "Just a taste," he murmured huskily and groaned as Miss Hermione Granger, former Head Girl of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, dropped to her knees, undid his trousers, and slurped his hard length into her damp mouth as though she were starving for it.

Somehow he kept from collapsing as she twirled her talented tongue around the thick crown of his sex. The lust was beyond his control. The pleasure she bestowed upon him was tender and true.

A hiss between clenched teeth was one of the only two sounds. The other sound was music to his ears. Hermione was moaning and humming as if she were excited over orally pleasing him.

He clutched her head, undoing the tenuous hold of her hair and causing it to spill free. It resembled the woman before him – so wanton, so willing, so eagerly giving him the best fellatio he'd ever had.

Her hand cupped his heavy sacs, kneading the tender flesh, as she took him wholly into her mouth. He was lost. Any intentions he may have had took flight from his soul. He must have her. She was his. He would take her before the sun rose over the horizon.

With an anguished thrust, he grabbed a fistful of her curls and pumped into her face. He looked down and saw her adoring eyes looking up at him, and that was his undoing.

He came, giving himself to this woman, body and soul.

His knees buckled and he knelt before her. Composure was just a word to him now. He could muster no semblance of it as he sat in front of her. It was awkward – his pants around his ankles. Hermione stared at him as she sat back on her ankles and licked her lips.

"I'm assuming you found my performance adequate," she stated knowingly, sticking a finger up to her mouth and sucking it in.

Guilt rarely held sway over him. He had no use for it. It only hindered other, more positive emotions and sensations. But he couldn't ignore it this time. He was drowning in it. The woman before him had no idea how she was bound to him. All she knew was the fire of lust. His soul would certainly burn in hell now. She probably fancied herself in love with him.

There was only one way to know for certain. He unsheathed his wand from his sleeve and muttered the spell. "Legilimens." The lone word was solemn. If she didn't hate him now, she certainly would now.

She backed away and slammed her eyes shut.

But it was too late. He was already in, prying into her deepest thoughts. Images washed over him, as she tried to force him out. A fourth-year picture of her emerged with gargantuan teeth from when Draco had hexed her, and he could hear his callous voice announce, "I see no difference."

He winced as he felt the cold lance of cruelty strike her down.

A seventh-year picture of his lover emerged. She'd received the highest mark on her potions NEWT and she'd come to thank him. "It seems the Fates are fickle, indeed," he had sneered, insinuating that she had merely been lucky.

An adult Hermione appeared in his mind. The setting was the first annual celebratory ball. His words over her appearance that night had rolled off his tongue, inflicting the pain he had intended.

Severus cringed, seeing the hatred and spite.

Something else shimmered in the distance, something hopeful, yet far away.

Her mind guarded her secret with a passionate resolve.

"No," she whimpered beneath him.

Severus backed away, suddenly unsure.

"Please," she whispered.

Her entreaty made his blood boil and he could feel the immediate response. He needed the answer. He could sense it. Whatever she had locked away would be the answer to end his suffering. Her suffering be damned!

"Let me in," he commanded softly, lightly brushing his lips across her forehead.

It was like a dam breaking, the torrent of pent-up emotions mocking him. She wanted him! She always had! Before the potion. The realization struck him down even as he glanced around.

He hardly recognized the feeling as it carried him away. She didn't fancy herself in love with him. She did love him!

--

He knows! She'd felt him brush against her darkest secret and she readied herself for his scathing assault. She was stupid and foolish. Harry had tried to teach her Occlumency, but he was barely proficient in it himself. The pupil was only as good as the teacher.

Hermione kept her eyes closed, not wanting to see the loathsome reaction he must feel. She pushed against his shoulders, but he did not move. Feeling the light, teasing brush of his lips against hers, she started, opening her eyes.

She didn't see the rejection or the sarcastic response she'd anticipated. His eyes were black and unreadable.

"Forgive me," he whispered against her lips. 

With heightened desperation, Hermione returned the kiss, sighing when he deepened it.

Severus broke the kiss and rolled away awkwardly, toeing off his boots and pulling off his pants. He reached for his tunic and started undoing a multitude of buttons.

She couldn't stop watching him if she wanted to. He was lean, his defined muscles flexing as he moved. Fine black hair dotted his forearms, chest and legs. With feline grace, he rose and offered her his hand.

"Come with me," his voice persuaded. Blushing, her gaze lingered on his impressive size, then snapped to his eyes.

Severus smirked. "Please."

His polite request was met with a tentative smile. Hermione reached for his hand, but hesitated.

"Do you not find the dungeon floor cold, Hermione?"

Feeling a chill crawl up her spine, Hermione grasped his hand. He pulled her up with ease and into his embrace, nuzzling her cheek gently. "As much as I wish to Divesto your clothes and take you right here, I wish to taste you first."

Hermione blushed furiously.

Pulling her toward his door, his smirk turned into a genuine smile. "I wish to peel your clothing from your person and explore how much of your body that delectable blush covers."

Closing the door behind them, Severus took one of her hands in his and lifted it to his mouth and kissed her palm. An electric shock shot up her arm and she groaned.

"So responsive," he whispered softly, moving behind her. He slid a hand around her midriff and made quick work of the button to her jeans. He inched his palm into her jeans, under her knickers, and past her moist curls.

"Forgive me," he breathed against her cheek and scooped his fingers inside her. 

Somehow she kept her knees from buckling as his fingers danced across her swollen nub. Just as she neared the precipice, he withdrew his fingers and tasted the damp digits. "Forgive me," he repeated. "Your essence has haunted my dreams these past weeks."

"Weeks?" Hermione questioned breathlessly, moving her hips as Severus pushed her jeans and knickers down. She groaned when his hand traveled under her sweater and cupped one of her sensitive breasts. He plucked the nipple to a fine point, making her forget all else.

Her world tilted as he lifted her into his arms, carrying her to his bed. The green satin of the comforter melted with her weight and she had little time to adjust before Severus was upon her. With a vicious tug, he pulled her to the edge of the bed and knelt before her, pushing her legs apart and nudging her femininity with his nose.

All coherent thought escaped her as she grabbed fistfuls of his hair and thrust her hips up to his voracious ministrations. This seemed so familiar…so right.

She grinned when he growled, running his tongue up and down her wet slit. His rhythm was set, occasionally stopping to suckle her clit or swirl his tongue around the jutting peak.

"Come for me, Hermione," he instructed, pushing several fingers into her. "Say my name."

Just as she thought she would split in two, Hermione cried out. "Severus!"

Before she could catch her breath, she felt her world tilt again. This time, her lover was beneath her, guiding his readied shaft between her legs. She smacked his hand away and grasped his sex, sinking onto his weeping member. 

Hermione winced as his nails dug into her hips.

"My wand," he moaned with a pained expression.

Hermione tried moving off him, fearful that she had injured him. But he held her to him.

"I need my wand," Severus panted. "To cast a contraceptive charm."

She giggled, easing his hold on her and moving on top of him. "I'm protected," she breathed against his lips, tasting herself. "The Potion," she explained, another blush tingeing her cheeks.

Severus chuckled and started unbuttoning her tight, suggestive sweater. "Amazing," he said with admiration. "I'm buried deep inside you and you're blushing about telling me that you're on The Potion."

Snapping the last button open, Severus spread the fuzzy material away from her breasts. With a beastly growl, he sat up and flipped them over and thrust deeply inside her.

"Severus!" she cried unsolicited as he pounded unmercifully into her wanting orifice. Locking her legs around his ass, she matched his rhythm.

She was so close, almost there, standing on the edge of oblivion. Yet something held her back. Her stomach churned and she turned her head away the smell of sex on both their breaths, hoping Severus would orgasm soon.

He granted her wish, groaning her name as he came within her. He collapsed on top of her, seemingly devoid of enough energy to shove off.

Pushing on his shoulder, Hermione bit her lip. Please Merlin! Not again! "I-I need to use the toilet," she stammered, shoving his shoulder more forcefully as the urge to vomit rose in her throat.

She made a mad dash for the toilet and lost what remained of her lunch. Thankfully, she had skipped dinner. This stupid flu had the worst timing.

"Hermione," Severus' concerned voice called from behind the door. "Shall I fetch Poppy?"

Righting herself and opening the door, Hermione gave him a weak smile. "I'll be fine," she replied reassuringly and scooped a handful of water to rinse her mouth out. "Just a touch of the flu."

Severus handed her a towel. "Nevertheless, you should go to the hospital wing and seek a flu remedy."

Hermione's smile brightened and she wrapped her arms around him. "You may want to be careful, Severus. I may begin to think you actually care," she teased knowingly, feeling him grow tense.

"I may not love you, but you should never doubt that I care for you, Hermione," Severus admitted grudgingly.

She sobered and hugged him tighter. "I'll take what I can get."

--

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten –

He could hardly wait to sink into her soft, yielding body. Surely she was still awake. If she weren't, he would wake her. His day had started that way, waking her up as he pushed his inflamed flesh into her. Her desirous, brown eyes had fluttered open dreamily, and she had moaned huskily – a moan he had sipped with the morning kiss greedily. He'd taken his fill of her. At least, what he had supposed was his fill of her.

Somehow, Severus had resisted the urge to enter her thoughts. Greed had incited him to seek the comfort of their warmth, but the lust had propelled him to seek only the physical release his body had demanded. He was a secular wizard, with little need for gods or myths of gods, but he had cried their names as he lost himself inside her.

She had been slow to rouse from her exhaustive sleep and had fallen quickly back to sleep. They had gotten little sleep the night before. Hermione had said little, keeping her thoughts quiet and guarded, even though he had known better.

His young witch seemed embarrassed by what he knew to be true and honest feelings. He'd wanted to assure her, to reason with her, to coax her into verbalizing the thoughts he'd brushed up against, but it had been better for him that she hadn't. He'd slipped up in the throes of passion, almost revealing his treachery of several weeks ago.

Thankfully, Hermione had suffered no lasting effects from being Obliviated. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Hopefully, exposure was the cure. Continued physical contact was often the cure to exorcise the most basic of lust potions. He would continue dipping into her fount until the urge passed, then he would rid himself of her.

Waving his wand, he unwarded the entrance to his chambers. He hadn't seen her all day and was actually looking forward to being with her. Teaching and his nightly rounds had kept him from her for too long.

Severus discarded his robe, leaving it in a hasty pile in his bedchamber. Kicking off his boots, he made a mental note that he would need to pick his clothes up later. That was the one disadvantage to house-elves. They didn't do laundry. As he made his way from his room to the sitting area, he started unbuttoning his shirt.

He knocked softly on her door, scowling that she wasn't already in his bed, wet and ready. His scowl grew when there was no answer, so he opened the door.

Her bed was neatly made and her desk was cleaned off. It was as though no one were staying there. 

"Hermione?" he called out, hoping she wasn't ill in the loo again.

Again, there was no answer. Skulking into the living room, Severus stopped when he saw the locket on top of the scroll. He picked the necklace and parchment up, ignoring the meaningless jewelry and unrolling the scroll.

_Dear Professor Snape, ___

_I regret to inform you that I am unable to complete this assignment. I have given notice to Eglerns for a replacement to be sent as soon as magically possible. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you, but I have been called away on a private matter. ___

_Sincerely, ___

_Hermione J. Granger__  
__Curse-Breaker, Gringotts Wizarding Bank. _

Balling the paper in his fist, Severus stormed out of his quarters, intent on seeking a more in-depth answer than the tripe he tossed onto the floor.

--

The next morning, Ginny Weasley was pouring food into the cat dish and making kissing noises. "Here, kitty. Breakfast time for Crookshanks," she called out excitedly. She was probably overfeeding the orange cat, but she didn't care. He didn't seem to mind the food or the company.

Crookshanks jumped onto the windowsill and meowed, eyeing Ginny suspiciously even though the redheaded witch had been living in his house and giving him tasty morsels these last few days. What she was so upset about was beyond him, but he really wished she would stop getting him wet.

"I just don't know, Crookshanks," she sighed and stroked his fur and wiped her runny nose with the sleeve of her robe. "What will Mum and Dad say? The twins and Ron are going to go ballistic if they ever find out about Harry."

Mention of the Boy-Who-Defeated-Voldemort caused Ginny to cry harder and Crookshanks to meow in feigned interest. Harry's scent was all over Ginny. The imbecile rat protector, Weasel King, was not going to be happy that his best friend had planted his seed within his sister's womb. 

Ginny sobbed and stroked the ginger fur. "H-Harry asked me if it was his," she cried harder and rubbed her face against the cat's back. "I've only ever loved that arse. Now look where it's gotten me!"

"You!" the irate beast grimaced over his mussed fur. "Thanks to you, I've got to spend an hour cleaning myself. Unhand me, stupid woman!"

"And what will Charlie and Bill say?" Ginny questioned shakily.

A curt knock on the door interrupted her pity, and she wiped her tears away and prepared to do battle. It could only be one person. Maybe Harry would just go away.

Smelling a familiar, untrustworthy scent on the air, Crookshanks growled. His witch may not be home, but he was determined to protect her from the dark wizard.

Ginny frowned at the cat's reaction and walked toward the door. "Just go away, Harry! I don't want to talk to you right now. You've said all there was to say last night!"

"I'm not Potter!" an irritated, yet muffled voice scoffed from behind the door.

She opened the door and stared in shock. "Professor Snape?"

--

Well, that had gone better than she thought it would, Hermione thought sullenly. She now had two weeks off and time to think. Eglerns had not been pleased, actually giving Hermione her time off. But a contract was a contract. She just hoped she had a job to come back to once she got her head on straight.

Yesterday had been like a bizarre episode on the telly. All she wanted to do now was turn the channel. After a morning of a tender and explorative love-mak -- sex session with Severus, she'd drifted back off to sleep. Unfortunately, the nausea had other ideas.

Having woken up to lose the contents of her stomach, Hermione resigned herself that she would not be able to shake this flu by herself. So she had paid a visit to Madam Pomfrey.

_"Are you certain?" Hermione asked, her face ashen with shock. "But I'm on The Potion."___

_Madam Pomfrey patted Hermione's hand. "Yes. You're four weeks along by the looks of things. And The Potion is only ninety-nine percent effective. Only abstinence is foolproof."___

_Four weeks! Hermione's memory struggled to grasp the news as the timing played out in her head. What was she doing four weeks ago, and why did four weeks seem like an eternity to her? The celebratory ball! More importantly…the morning after the celebratory ball! ___

_She'd woken up ill, seemingly hung over, with her gown on backwards and a love bite on her neck. ___

_"I'm assuming by the look on your face that this is not welcome news," Poppy stated softly.___

_Hermione continued wracking her brain as to who the father might be. She remembered seeing Ron and Harry at the ball and shuddered. Surely she hadn't slept with either of them. Even if she had, surely she would remember doing so. She'd had some punch, and then she'd woken up. ___

_The sinking feeling grew and Hermione could feel the tears well in her eyes. Things had been going too well. She and Severus…___

_Oh Gods! What would he say? ___

_"I have a potion that you could take," Poppy's voice carried through Hermione's thoughts. "A potion that…takes care of unwanted pregnancies."___

_The panic that had taken hold of her came to a screeching halt. "What?"___

_Poppy set a midnight blue vial on a table. "However, you have to take this before the first trimester is over. It's always easier and less stressful on your body if you abort within the first trimester."___

_"What?" Hermione repeated, her mind buzzing. _

Sipping her butterbeer, Hermione set the vial on the table with a shaky hand.

--

Ignoring the questioning stare of Ginny Weasley, Severus stepped over the threshold of Hermione's flat.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with a befuddled expression.

A combination hiss and growl emanated from the ragtag sofa, causing Severus to draw his wand. "I've come to collect Miss Granger so that she may fulfill her obligation to me," he replied quickly, eyeing the beast whose tail flashed back and forth in fury.

"I haven't seen her," stated Ginny as she walked over to calm Crookshanks. "I thought she was still at Hogwarts."

The dormant flame in the fireplace turned green and Ginny ducked behind her former teacher reflexively.

"I know you're there, Ginny," Harry's disembodied head guessed as it looked around the room. "Quit hiding. We need to talk."

"Troubles, Potter?" Severus intervened with a snide look on his face.

Harry's head turned toward the sound of Snape's voice and his eyes widened in surprise. "Step aside. I'm coming through."

Severus sneered, his hatred of Potter firmly intact and bent on inflicting any pain he could. So he made no attempt to move out of the way. "You've obviously upset this young woman, and I don't believe you are invited."

Ginny peered around Severus and hooked her arm through his in a familiar manner. "He's right, Harry. You're not invited. My lover and I were having a private conversation."

"Your what?" both men asked in unison, one voice hurt, the other surprised.

"You were right all along, Harry," Ginny continued, her voice icy cold. "It isn't your baby. It's his! So run along and have fun shagging your adoring fans, but remember to practice safe sex whilst doing so."

Severus said a silent prayer that she had a squib. The last thing he needed was another go at teaching with a Potter look-alike.

Harry cursed, promising Snape that he was going to make his life a living hell. Then the flame died down.

Tears were flowing unchecked down her cheeks as she saw the green flame in the fireplace extinguish.

"You may let go of me now, Miss Weasley," Severus said, pulling away. "I believe your arrow of revenge was swift and true. Mister Potter shan't be bothering you anymore."

Instead of letting him go, Ginny tightened her hold and cried harder, her wails of grief incoherent and hysterical. "Gods, what have I done?"

Severus stiffened as she maneuvered herself in his arms. The young witch had pressed her entire body against his, seeking comfort he was unable to give.

"How could I have been so stupid?" Ginny sobbed. "How could this have happened? I was on The Potion!"

Ascertaining that the woman in his arms was pregnant and the father was Potter, Severus shuddered.

"Why did I give in to him?" Ginny asked her captive audience, then continued without an answer. "He looked so handsome in his formal robes," she sighed. "I hated seeing him dance with those other witches. I swear I'll never attend another ball again! What possessed me to make love with him? Mum and Dad are going to kill me when they find out they are going to be grandparents. My brothers will hunt Harry down!"

Severus listened to the babbling witch and continued to extricate himself from her arms. Finally fed up, he snapped. "Miss Weasley, would you please let me go?"

As if coming to her senses, Ginny pushed herself away from the granite statue of her ex-professor and dabbed her eyes wildly with her robe.

Severus straightened his robes and backed away from the Weasley sister, ignoring the continued growls emitted from Crookshanks. "If I am to ascertain this correctly, you are pregnant, and Potter is the expectant father."

Ginny sat on the settee and tried to pull Crookshanks onto her lap. "Yes, sir."

"And this blessed conception took place at the celebratory ball?" he sneered.

Wringing her hands in her lap, Ginny sniffled. "I-I'm not sure, but yes, I think so. Harry and I have been… You know…" She blushed furiously.

Severus held his hands up. "That is not a mental image I need to envision, Miss Weasley."

"He's like a drug," Ginny continued. "I can't get enough of him."

"Please refrain from speaking of such things, Miss Weasley," Severus reminded. "Or I shall have nightmares for weeks."

She said nothing and looked up at him for some sort of answer.

"Tell me one thing, Miss Weasley," Snape said. "Did you drink the punch at the ball?"

"Y-yes," she answered slowly.

It was a rarity indeed that The Potion failed, and a similar feeling of dread from the days the Dark Lord had summoned him formed in the pit of his stomach. Obviously, Potter and Ginevra Weasley were suffering the effects of the spiked punch. 

Even though lust potions were considered Dark Magic and illegal, they were available on the market. The Ministry of Magic regulated use of them for magical couples who were having troubles conceiving. They were essentially a fertility booster.

Why hadn't he considered this? Was it possible that Hermione's flu was morning sickness in disguise? Was she carrying his heir, oblivious to the knowledge of how she'd become pregnant?

Severus walked over to the door and grabbed Ginny's over-robe. "Come with me, Miss Weasley."

"Where are we going?" she hesitated.

"To Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes." Severus shoved the robe into her hands.

--

TBC

A/N – Okay! Yes, she's pregnant and she's obviously not the only one. Cackles evilly! Thank you to all who have reviewed. Reviews really are inspiring.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N -- I'm obviously not JK. If I were, I'd have a maid to do the housework. This fic is written for shits and giggles. As I write this, I'm hearing soap opera music. Anybody else hear the music? Thanks a million to KR for beta reading and Larilee for her encouragement.

--

Chapter Eleven –

Placing her hand on her stomach, Hermione took a deep breath and said a silent prayer. She'd spent the last hour pondering her fate and the fate of her child. Her child. It was strange – those two words.

She stared at the blue vial and pushed it away. She was resolute, her decision made. She was going to keep the baby.

Hermione would fade from her adopted world as though she had never existed. At least, that is what she was planning on doing. Single parents didn't exist in the wizarding world. If they did, they were widowed. Fortunately, she had two weeks to get her affairs in order.

She'd have to find a cheaper flat and a new job. Even though she didn't doubt her parents would be supportive, there was no way she would burden them with her troubles. 

Shaking her head, Hermione patted her flat stomach again and chastised herself for thinking of her child as a trouble.

Things would work out. The Muggle world was larger and more forgiving.

She sipped her butterbeer nervously, tears welling in her eyes. 

--

Severus stalked down the lane toward the Leaky Cauldron, still not believing what had just happened. He'd been so distracted, pondering the possibility that Hermione may be pregnant, that he hadn't seen it coming. Ginevra Weasley had hexed him and Apparated, obviously panicked over the idea of telling her brothers that she was in the family way. He supposed, being the youngest of the Weasley clan and the only girl, she had perfected the Bat-Bogey Hex as a simple line of defense.

He was recovered now, but still didn't feel well enough to Apparate to Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. Walking into the Leaky Cauldron, he paused. Even through the smell of smoke and whiskey, he could detect her alluring scent.

It was ironic. Yes, he had a rather large nose. It was one of his finer attributes for it allowed him to identify the subtle essence of various potion ingredients.

But this was different. This was a result of that blasted potion! Pheromones! They were the basic enhancements in a lust potion that enticed one to mate. He was delusional if he thought she actually loved him. Her thoughts had to be a direct result of the potion. Surely he had been mistaken as to the length and depth of her feelings for him.

Severus glanced around the tavern, his eyes darting wildly around the darkened, smoky room. A cloaked figure in the far corner caught his eye.

"Can I get you anything else?" Tom asked the cloaked figure.

"No, thank you, Tom," Hermione answered as she lifted her nearly full butterbeer up for the bartender's inspection.

She obviously didn't love him for she obviously didn't trust him. He was angry and he lashed out. "Did you have your fill, Miss Granger?" Severus questioned, his inflection frosty and aloof.

Gasping at the sound of his voice, Hermione nearly fell out of her seat. His hand rested on her shoulder, steadying her. "P-professor Snape!"

He sat at the seat across the table, glaring at her. "You said you would take what you would get," he reminded her suggestively of the words she'd uttered after their _first time together _. "Was that all you could take?"

Hermione blushed furiously, unable to look him in the eye.

"A contract is a contract," he quoted. "I expect for you to honor yours and accompany me back to Hogwarts where you will finish your work on my locket."

Hermione pushed her hood off and stared at him, her mouth agape.

Taking her silence as agreement, Severus started to stand. "Good. Now that all is agreed, we shall Apparate to Hogsmeade and take up where we left off."

Standing, she threw Severus an evil glare. "Of all the nerve! You arrogant arse! To assume that I would follow you back to the dungeons and fall into your bed! Thank you for your generous offer, Professor. But I think I'll pass," she spat cruelly.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap.

Hermione let out a small yelp. His arms were like steel bands around her waist, securing her where she continued to struggle. One of his hands brushed the tender underside of her left breast.

"Why are you running, Hermione?" he growled softly in her ear. "Do you think yourself immune to me? Have you forgotten what I know of your thoughts?"

"That's the problem with Legilimens," Hermione countered. "It isn't exact. You're a man, Professor. Surely you know women are prone to think or say things in the throes of passion that they really don't mean."

Touché, Severus thought with a smirk. "I didn't survive being a double-agent all those years without being able to differentiate between falsehoods and truths," he stated, moving his hand inside her robe and cupping her cloth-covered breast.

"I believe you have genuine feelings for me. Or are you that wanton with all men?" Severus nipped at the love bite on her neck.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. He knew how to garner certain reactions out of her. He'd spent close to a decade perfectly his witty quips to wound her. They had become second nature to him, especially when she was around.

Hermione pushed against him with a renewed vigor. "Let go of me, Professor Snape," she said, her voice reflecting her emotional distance.

He relaxed his hold on her, but didn't let her go. Letting his breath linger next to her ear, he tried a softer approach. "My apologies, Hermione," he whispered softly.

"Come back with me," his velvety voice coaxed her, as he felt her hesitate.

"I c-can't," she whispered, twisting out of her lover's arms.

Letting her stand, Severus focused his gaze on the table. How was he going to ask her if she was pregnant? How was he going to be able to keep her? How –

The midnight blue vial sparkled as Tom lit a candle nearby.

Severus reached for the evidence; dread settling in the pit of his soul. He knew his own work. He brewed all of the potions for Hogwarts. Had she taken the abortion potion? Had she terminated their child?

Hermione's eyes went wild as he examined the vial.

"Did you take this?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

"I-I," she stammered, and started sinking to the floor.

Severus sprang from his seat just in time to catch her before she collapsed, the fate of their child still unanswered.

--

Pacing the length of the small room he had acquired at the Leaky Cauldron, Severus couldn't take his eyes off the tip of his wand. It was blue. She was indeed pregnant. He was still unable to ascertain whether or not she'd taken any of the potion. But she was definitely pregnant.

He'd never considered fatherhood and had always meant to have a procedure to ensure he would never have to worry about it. But he'd never gotten around to it. There was just something about allowing Poppy anywhere near his dangly bits that made him shudder.

Now that the prospect of impending fatherhood loomed before him, Severus found himself hopeful. He really hadn't considered life after the defeat of Voldemort. Teaching imbeciles and dunderheads was not something he intended to do for the rest of his days. He could retire comfortably and live off the royalties of some of the potions he'd developed, but that had sounded incredibly boring. Besides, he enjoyed tormenting first years too much to resign his post at Hogwarts.

How did a family figure into his future?

It didn't. He'd never considered having children. He'd never considered consuming the blasted potion at the ball either. But here he was, lusting after her, a woman whose disdain for him had bred contempt for her that ran deep into his soul. Severus had to remind himself that she was not to blame. She was as much a victim in this as he was.

But a child? A powerful, magical child. A sliver of excitement slipped past his resolve.

He guarded his excitement, hoping Hermione hadn't taken any of the potion. The prospect that his fatherhood was over before it had actually begun moved him.

He never should have Obliviated her. Not only was the Obliviate charm heavily legislated and reserved for Obliviators, it was considered somewhat illegal. 

It wasn't totally illegal, like the Unforgivable Curses, but the Obliviate charm was not to be taken lightly. It was one of the few times in his life that Severus had actually panicked. It was bad enough he'd had sex with an ex-student, much less a member of the Golden Trio, but Hermione had woken up and started casting accusations about as though he was to blame.

She'd never forgive him, of course. Once she discovered his role in her condition, she'd spurn him.

He needed a plan—a plan that would enable him to keep her and claim his child.

Hermione stirred restlessly on the bed and groaned. Severus grabbed the vial and sat next to her, ready to confront her and get the answers he needed.

Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled, her tongue darting out to moisten her bottom lip.

Observing her awakening, Severus tempered his lascivious thoughts and cleared his throat. "Miss Granger," he murmured, trying to get her attention.

Hermione's eyes snapped open and she tried sitting up in bed, but Severus prevented her from doing so as he held her shoulder.

"Miss Granger," he repeated, his question sticking in this throat for fear of her answer. "I need to know how much of this potion you consumed."

"I – I," she stammered.

"You fainted," Severus continued, trying to keep his tone neutral.

Struggling to sit up, Hermione finally succeeded. "I have to go."

"You're pregnant," Severus stated with finality. "At least you were." He held the vial between them. "Did you take the potion?"

Her eyes focused on the bottle in his hand. "I don't know what you're talking about," she lied.

Raising his wand, he called her bluff. "Please do not insult my intelligence. Do you honestly think me incapable of recognizing my own work? I can even tell you when I brewed this potion and for what purpose."

Hermione stared at the evidence on his wand, pushed it away, and moved off the bed. "This is none of your concern, Severus!"

Severus smirked upon hearing his given name. "We were lovers last night. Surely we can be friends today."

She laughed, her laughter caustic. "Friends? You want to be my friend?"

He nodded. It did sound absurd.

She backed away from him. "I—I have friends. I don't need any more friends," she cried. "And now I have to leave them behind! I might as well leave my wand behind too, and –"

Severus stood up and approached her. "What are you talking about?"

Taking a deep shuddering breath, Hermione wiped the errant tears that trickled down her cheeks. "I'm leaving."

He didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or scoff at her foolishness. She was one of the brightest witches to ever come out of Hogwarts. He watched as she started pacing.

"I may be able to keep my flat, but I'll have to find work in London."

Listening to her prattle on about her haphazard plans, Severus continued maneuvering her toward the nearest wall. 

Backed against the wall, Hermione could look nowhere else other than in her former professor's obsidian eyes.

"You're pregnant," he stated simply as though missing the gist of the conversation.

Her response was breathless and furious. "I thought we'd already established that I was pregnant."

The rise and fall of her breasts tempted him and his eyes fell to her chest. "And you've convinced yourself that you must leave the wizarding world?"

"Yes," she hissed in agreement. 

"Why?"

"Because I don't know who the father is!" she murmured, a new stream of tears falling down her cheeks. "I won't subject my child to that kind of ridicule."

Severus leaned against her, pressing his body suggestively into hers. Inwardly, he sneered. This was too easy. He'd be her savior and that of her unborn child – his child. He'd offer her a façade, his name for an heir and a life of comfort. He'd bind her to him for the rest of his life, taking from her what she so readily offered. He couldn't have planned this better himself.

He brushed his lips against her cheek. "Marry me."

--

"Marry me," the man pressing against her repeated the words against her cheek, his breath hot against her skin.

She was dreaming and obviously having some elaborate delusional episode. A salacious compulsion smothered any and all markers of sanity and reason.

"The child will retain my name and my status, and you will be able to remain in the wizarding world and do whatever you please." His hands cupped her hips and pulled her against his hardness. "We've already proven that we are compatible in the most basic sense," he insinuated, his hands moving over her body.

Severus touched his lips to hers with a gentleness Hermione was unaware he was capable of. _He's seducing you, _the last of reason whispered.

Groaning, Hermione shifted against him, not yet wanting to give up the heady sensations he was causing throughout her body.

"You will provide me with an heir," Severus breathed, opening her robe and blouse molding his hands to her full breasts.

The evening train ran past the window, rattling the windows and weakening the hold Severus held over her.

She made a feeble effort and pushed against him. She would not yield. She couldn't give in. As his lips placed light kisses along the column of her neck, Severus plucked her nipples through her jumper. Hermione cringed as she heard her traitorous moan.

He had revealed himself last night – his true self.

For years, she'd pondered the mysteries surrounding the Potions master. During her seventh year she had started thinking of him as more than a teacher. She'd spent lonely nights fantasizing about him. For all that time she'd spent, she was no closer to solving the enigma. She'd been left with more questions than answers.

His proposal befuddled her. He'd purported to being unable to "find her elusive beauty" at the first annual ball. It was one thing to make love to the man, but for him to propose marriage was absurd.

Making another feeble attempt to push him away so that she could approach the situation logically, Hermione gasped when he grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head. She managed to hold on to one thought as she gave herself willingly to his attentions.

He was incapable of love.

At least he had been honest with her. Was his integrity enough to build a marriage on?

Hermione shook her head, not believing that she was actually entertaining his proposal. 

Relationship. Marriage. The amount of time she had spent thinking of him. Galloping gargoyles! Was it possible?

Severus shifted, now holding her wrists with one hand and moving to palm one of her breasts through the layers of cloth. But the thought remained. 

Hermione couldn't deny it any longer. She loved Severus Snape! Last night she had been so sure of herself, giving in to the tempting need to have him and ignoring any argument of morality. She had been so sure that she could distance her emotions from her wanton behavior.

She had set out to seduce him and had succeeded with notable results. He'd told her the truth. He didn't love her. He never would. That was a bitter pill to swallow.

"You hate me," she whispered huskily, finally finding her voice. 

Sliding his hand under her jumper, Severus toyed with her breasts. "Perhaps my animosity toward you was something else in disguise." He nuzzled her ear, flicking his tongue against the sensitive shell, and then nibbling the lobe.

"I am not a skilled Legilimens," Hermione gasped as he ground his hips into hers. "How would I know what you feel? Are you even capable of feeling anything?"

Severus released her wrists, pulled her jumper over her head and perused his handiwork with an appreciative eye. "Be careful, Miss Granger, or you may hurt my feelings," he mocked her before bending his head and brushing his cheek against her pointed nipple.

Severus growled, taking one of the tips into his mouth and laving it with his tongue.

The Potions master's advances dampened any logical argument. "I-I'm confused," she murmured, grasping Severus' head and threading her fingers through his dark locks. "You m-must stop. I need to ascertain if --"

With a loud pop, he released her breast. "You don't need to think," he murmured huskily, taking her other breast in his mouth and lavishing the twin with the same attention the other had received.

Hermione whimpered, undulating her hips against him. The passionate flame he stoked made her ache and yearn for him. His marriage proposal and her pregnancy all but forgotten, she gave in to the lust and seduction.

--

Severus sneered as he nibbled a path along the valley of her breasts. Her acquiescence secured his future. Hermione was his. She need never know that she was under the influence of a Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes experiment. Perhaps, over time, he would be able to formulate an antidote to the twins' meddlesome potion and be rid of her.

Hermione loved him, most assuredly due to the potion. It was a hallow victory, but he would take it nonetheless. She was equally powerless against the lust, which he could exploit at his leisure. Would having a willing woman in his bed be so horrible?

Growling lowly, Severus cupped her arse and stilled her movements. His little vixen was pushing against his swollen need just enough that he could ejaculate in his pants. Severus grazed along the skin of her chest and neck, guaranteeing her answer. "My offer is a generous one, Hermione. Swear you'll marry me. Say yes and I will ease the ache that consumes you."

"Yes," she hissed loudly.

He claimed her mouth in a deep, drugging kiss, clawing at her Muggle jeans in desperation. He couldn't help the shrewd smile that spread across his lips. He would ease her ache, and in doing so, submerge himself within the confines of her welcome heat --the same heat that promised him relief from the constant gnawing of his libido.

"A wise choice," Severus said, pulling her jeans to her ankles and helping her step out of them. Licking and nipping his way up her body, he undid his trousers and released himself.

He lifted her against the wall and she instinctually wrapped her legs around him. Groaning, he slid into her slick channel and stilled, suddenly aware of the life of his child growing within her. The will of the Fates was indeed fickle. His child. He shuddered at the thought, and felt something akin to affection slither through him.

The urgency to drill into her erupted and he pulled her tighter against him. He could feel the muscles of her tightness contract around him. "Mine," he growled purposefully against her neck, nipping at her tender flesh.

She arched her back against the wall and cried out, a look of blissful abandon clouding her eyes.

--

There were definite benefits to lust potions, Severus thought with a satisfied grin as he stretched his overworked, not-oft, used muscles. Instantaneous arousals had enabled him to keep Hermione blissfully sated and, most importantly, unable to think rationally. They would be married immediately as soon as they could gather two witnesses and Apparate to the Ministry of Magic. He still had pull there, and should be able to push the contract through without any troubles.

He supposed he could tell her the truth of what happened once they were bound together. Severus shook that nonsensical rambling of his displaced conscience. The time to do the honorable deed had long since passed. She and the child were his, and they would remain his as long as he drew breath. He would need to obtain the Weasleys' silence regarding the matter of Hermione's condition. But that should be simple enough. After all, they owed him.

Hermione stirred next to him and Severus felt arousal quicken within him. Clutching the sheet to her chest, his lover sat up. He clutched her forearm possessively. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I need to use the loo," she replied, jerking her arm away from him.

Letting go reluctantly, Severus glanced at her skeptically. She tugged on the duvet to cover her womanly assets and he smirked.

Hermione grunted and gave up, obviously deciding that her need to use the toilet was too great. Severus watched her retreating backside with barely veiled sensualism.

The door shut behind her and he scowled. While lust potions had their advantages, they also had downfalls. Jealously was not an emotion Severus rarely acknowledged, much less entertained. As a spy, he had acclimated himself to forgo the inconvenience of the failings of emotions. Distrust was the foundation of his persona, built and steeped in the tradition of trusting no one except himself.

This was preposterous! He was jealous that she'd gone to the loo? His scowl deepened as he contemplated the irritating side effect of the potion. Perhaps he would need to continue the search for the antidote after all.

So lost in thought was he that Severus paid no mind to Hermione as she walked back into the room fully clothed and stood at the foot of the bed. His eyes widened in surprise.

"I've thought about your generous offer and have decided to decline," she stated simply. "Although you've proven that we are compatible in the 'most basic sense,' it is not a stable foundation on which to build a marriage. I have considered my options carefully and have decided to leave the wizarding world. You should know that –"

"This is absurd! You swore an oath!"

"I did no such thing," Hermione countered.

"You said yes." Severus got off the bed and moved toward her.

Hermione pulled out her wand and leveled it at his throat. "D-don't," she stammered, "come any closer. I don't know what this thing is between us, but it has got to stop. You don't love me and you will certainly never love a child that isn't yours."

Severus held his arms to his sides. He certainly didn't need this overly emotional woman hexing his bollocks off. "And what if the child was mine?" he asked softly, feeling a desperation he'd only felt once before in his life. Voldemort had had him under the Cruciatus Curse for some minor detail that had since escaped his memory. This felt worse.

"I spent seven years under your tutelage, Professor," Hermione continued. "You're behavior toward children borders on abusive and I cannot, in good conscience, subject my child to that."

"You're mine," he stated, his voice belying little emotion other than a dangerous warning. Bugger it to hell! If this were his room, he would be able to get to his other wand.

As if sensing his dangerous mood, Hermione stepped back and raised her wand higher. "Please do not contact me again."

"I will have you," he said, his words blunt and filled with meaning.

Hermione eyed his piles of clothes and pointed her wand at the pile. "Incendio!"

Severus watched as his clothes caught on fire, and with a loud pop, Hermione was gone.

--

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve –

"There's another duvet in the closet if you get cold tonight," Hermione's mum called out from behind the door.

Hearing the unasked questions in her mother's voice, Hermione sighed. She had Apparated to her room, knowing he'd never think of looking for her here, and startling her parents. They'd thought she had been burgled. Once they had realized it was their daughter, they had welcomed her home with open arms. Even though they were a bit perplexed as to why she had arrived unannounced.

"We'll see you in the morning," her mum announced and walked away.

It would not do to worry her parents further if they heard her crying. Hermione took her wand out of her pocket and cast an Imperturbable Charm on her door. Sitting at her vanity and giving in to the urge, Hermione let the tears fall.

"What is wrong with me?" she asked out loud, sobbing. Surely, it wasn't pregnancy hormones already.

"It appears that you are distraught," answered her reflection in the vanity mirror, sniffling in disgust. "Yet, here you are after you abandoned me. You grew up and moved out, leaving me behind. Look at you! Look at me! We look fat. Are you ever going to do anything with your hair? I'm tired of the bushy look. No wonder boys won't come near us."

Hermione started, forgetting that she had purchased the enchanted mirror after her third year at Hogwarts. "Of course, I'm distraught," she replied, wiping tears away. "I'm pregnant, I don't know who the father is, and I can't seem to keep my knickers on around Severus Snape. My career is probably ruined. Once Snape contacts Eglerns and tells him that I didn't complete the assignment, I'm finished."

"Surely there are other jobs," the mirror stated, trying its best to comfort its owner. "Didn't the Ministry offer…Pregnant!" it shrieked.

Holding her fingers up to her lips, Hermione shushed the mirror. "I don't think the neighbors down the lane heard you," she whispered loudly, even though she'd cast the charm. 

Hermione's reflection stuck out its bottom lip and scowled. "My figure! My poor ruined figure! Think of what a child will do to my figure. And you don't know who the father is?" the mirror questioned caustically. "How did you manage that? You're on the Potion, for pity's sake. Did you get pissed one night and decide to ruin my figure and your life? Did you –"

"Will you please be quiet and stop carrying on?" Hermione snapped, glaring at her reflection.

Pouting, her reflection gave Hermione a scornful look.

"I'm pregnant." Hermione stood up and began to pace while her reflection remained still in the mirror. "You might as well get used to it because I'm keeping it."

The reflection looked at her with an incredulous stare. "So let me see if I can summarize your current situation. You're pregnant. You don't know who the father is. Your career is in the toilet. And you're planning on keeping the baby. And you can't seem to keep your knickers on around Severus Snape."

Hermione blushed wildly and said nothing. She knew her mirror would bring up her schoolgirl fantasy sooner or later. The blasted enchantment knew everything about her.

"Disgusting! Severus Snape! Do you mean to tell me that you would actually welcome the big greasy bat if he did come here? Do you --"

"I despise him as surely as he despises me," Hermione spat and started to pace. _Perhaps my animosity toward you is something else in disguise, _his words repeated in her mind. Her head clear now, she examined the meaning of the words closely. What could he have meant?

Her reflection sat down and crossed its arms over its chest in annoyance.

"There must be something wrong with me," Hermione stated, waving her arms about in the air. She stopped in her tracks as errant snippets of logic and thought collided. "It's as though there was an external force. Something compelling me to act on my feelings for him.

Snorting, Hermione's reflection laughed. "And you're the brightest witch of the age?" it asked sarcastically. "Did it ever occur to you that the external force might be magic? And just what did you do?"

Hermione grinned, knowing her vain reflection would throw a tantrum. "I shagged Professor Snape, and –"

Her childish reflection gagged and rolled its eyes. 

"And I enjoyed it!" Hermione shouted.

Her reflection sobered. "That's it! You must have been poisoned. He must have poisoned you with some lust potion for you to be so…impulsive."

"Don't be absurd," she retorted. "Severus would never stoop to such measures to bed a witch. He may not be classically handsome, but he's …talented," she finished wistfully, remembering his particular talents in bed. "And insatiable."

"If I could slap you, I would," the reflection huffed. "You're talking about the great bat of the dungeons, Professor Severus Snape, as if you're in love with him."

Hermione sat on her bed and made no reply. She refused to let her reflection get the better of her. He knew she loved him. That is what made it so difficult, right now. He had offered her a marriage of convenience and she had turned him down. It had been one of the most difficult things she had ever done. She had no doubt that she could survive in a loveless relationship with him, but to condemn a child to that was…unspeakable.

Her enchanted reflection looked ashen. "That's it! Dark Magic indeed! Severus Snape is the type of wizard who wouldn't be content with a simple physical binding, he would take your love as well. He will use your love against you and bend you to his will."

"What are you prattling on about?" Hermione asked, closing her eyes and trying to ignore the mirror. Exhaustion had finally caught up to her and she lay on her bed and pulled her favorite duvet around her. "You're focusing on the wrong thing. Severus is the least of my concerns. I'm pregnant," she said with a yawn.

Her reflection sniffled. "Don't remind me," it murmured, getting in to the bed of the mirrored room.

"Things will be better in the morning," Hermione muttered sleepily. "He'll never find me here, and I'll have time to think things through without trying to shag him senseless.

--

Yesterday had definitely not turned out the way he'd intended, Severus thought to himself as he stormed down the lane toward the Ministry of Magic. The day before yesterday, he had returned from classes and nightly rounds, expecting a more-than-willing Granger to be lounging in his bed, waiting for him. Instead she had been gone, leaving behind his reticent pride and bewitched libido.

Yesterday he had tracked her down and shagged her into submission. Or, at least, he'd thought he had. What was going through her ever-churning mind right now? She is pregnant and, most likely, confused. More importantly, where was she?

Severus had sat outside her apartment all night, waiting for a sign of her return, but she had never appeared. His frustration growing, he had left.

Damn the Weasley twins and their lust potion to Hades!

She'd spurned him based solely on the lie he'd perpetuated. A chance for redemption had flashed briefly before him, but he couldn't resist his Slytherin urges and had fed into the falsehood, trying to convince her that he was her salvation. The Fates were weaving some tangled threads throughout his life, threads he would need to manipulate to his advantage.

He would make it impossible for her to leave the wizarding world. She may have slowed his pursuit by burning his clothes, but he would catch up to her soon enough. She'd sworn an oath to marry him. It may not have been a traditional oath, but it was a wizarding oath nonetheless. He would drag her before the Wizengamot and make her honor her pledge.

But first, he had to file the complaint. 

Stepping into the red telephone box, he dialed six two four four two.

"State your business," the welcome witch stated.

"I've come to lodge a complaint," Severus replied.

A silver badge appeared. Severus removed it and placed it on his robe as the booth began its descent to the Atrium. The booth opened and Severus strode across the polished wooden floors to a set of golden gates.

Pulling his wand out, Severus handed it to the watchwizard, Eric Munch. It was early in the morning, therefore Munch didn't feel the need to comment or greet the visitor.

Severus walked down a corridor and into an elevator. He pressed the button to the second floor and waited, his impatience with the mundane escalating.

The elevator door opened and he walked out onto the second floor and sneered.

Behind the first desk of a long line of desks sat his nemesis and possibly the Auror who could get Hermione back for him. "Potter," he greeted the young wizard with barely concealed contempt.

Green eyes bored into him, and Severus noticed Potter draw his wand. Reflexively, Snape reached for his and pointed it at Harry.

Severus glared at Potter, unable to resist baiting him. "How is Miss Weasley?"

Harry's wand shook with unbridled anger. "Just give me one good reason why I shouldn't hex your bollocks off right now, Snape," he murmured dangerously.

"Harry?" Nymphadora Tonks asked worriedly, unable to see who Harry was talking to. She walked around her desk to see wands drawn. With a gasp, she pulled her wand out and alternately pointed it at her fellow Order members. "Wotcher, guys?"

"I've come to file a complaint," Severus replied coldly.

"In the name of Merlin! What the blazes is going on out here?" Alastor Moody asked as he limped toward the scene fraught with drawn wands and threats. "Sheath your wands this instance!"

Tonks lowered her wand first, looking from Harry to Severus. "Harry," she warned softly.

"I don't care, Tonks," he growled. "The prat is going to get what he deserves for defiling Ginny."

"Potter! Snape! Lower your wands before I have you both arrested!" Moody growled, getting closer to the scene.

"What are you talking about, Harry?" Tonks asked, keeping her wand at the ready. 

"Ginny's pregnant and this git is the father," Harry muttered under his breath, sheathing his wand.

Lowering his wand, Severus continued to glare at Potter. "As much as it pains me to end the charade," he admitted grudgingly, "I had nothing to do with Miss Weasley's current condition. I would have thought that you would have had more common sense and taken better precautions against unwanted pregnancies. I have a potion Miss Weasley can take to rid herself of your spawn. Hopefully she will be sensible enough and terminate the pregnancy so that I will not have to suffer teaching your dunderhead of a child. After all, it seems you are incapable of taking responsibility for your actions."

Severus smirked knowingly, seeing Potter's green eyes flash in anger.

"Unsheathe that wand again, Potter, and I'll personally hex your ass into tomorrow!" Moody chuffed. "What the hell is wrong with you, boy?" he asked, his tone low. "State your business, Snape."

Severus turned toward Moody, his obsidian eyes still focusing on Potter. "Moody," he acknowledged slowly, drawling the senior Auror's last name as though it was distasteful to him. "I was unaware you had come out of retirement. When did the big event take place?"

Alastor grinned, his magical eye no longer rolling around in his head, but firmly focusing on Hogwarts' Potions master. "Did you come here to aggravate me or my Aurors, Snape?"

Severus' smirk turned into an almost wounded look of pain. "I've come to lodge a complaint."

"Against?" Moody asked professionally, seemingly forgetting Snape's attempt to taunt Potter.

"Miss Hermione Granger," Severus announced solemnly.

--

Drumming his fingertips on the wood table, Severus dabbed at the blood on his lip. Leave it up to Potter to resort to low-level tactics such as Muggle violence. The bloody prat was fortunate that he didn't file a complaint against the entire Department of Magical Law Enforcement! But Severus needed Potter to find and convince Hermione to come back to him.

The door to the visitor's lounge opened and closed with a soft click. Tonks walked in and conjured a chair to sit in.

"Where's Potter?" Snape asked sharply, his patience already worn thin. 

Conjuring some parchment, Tonks flipped it open with a snap and pulled a quill from behind her annoyingly pink hair. "In Moody's office, probably being reprimanded, no thanks to you." 

She had made no effort to conceal her recalcitrance, and Severus smiled. She was a woman, after all. All women could be charmed. "Obviously you've listened to Potter's side of the story and formulated your own opinion of me. How unlike you, Nymphadora."

Tonks eyed Severus suspiciously. "Don't try to play the victim, Severus," she emphasized his first name and leaned back in her chair. "I could probably picture Voldemort in a pink tutu easier than buying into you being victimized."

The mental image Tonks portrayed actually made Severus smile. "Isn't it fortunate that your partner vanquished the Dark Lord, then?"

Tonks looked down at the parchment and sighed. "What is your complaint?"

"Hermione Granger reneged on a wizard's oath," he stated simply as if it was an everyday occurrence. "I demand her immediate arrest and restitution."

Arching her eyebrow dispassionately, Tonks watched as the quill started to scribble the words onto the parchment.

If he didn't know better, Severus could have sworn she was stalling.

"What was the nature of the oath, and what proof do you provide?" Tonks questioned.

"She agreed to marry me," he announced. "I'll need to use my Pensieve to provide you with the necessary proof. You must understand, though, that it was a delicate time between us, and –"

"We'll need to view the memory in question, regardless of its delicate nature," Tonks interrupted, scribbling notes as quickly as possible. "Unfortunately, until you provide the Pensieve memory or a written contract, we can 't do anything." She folded the parchment in the shape of an airplane, waved her wand, and sent the complaint on its way.

"Now if that's all, Professor Snape." She made to stand. "I have more important things to do with my time than entertain some delusional wizard over some lover's spat."

Severus grabbed her wrist, feeling the chance to find Hermione slipping away. "Please," he whispered, his voice ragged with fake tears. "I fear for her state of mind. She's distraught and…with child."

"Merlin's beard! How far along is she?" Tonks tried to ask casually, leaning back against her chair.

"Approximately four weeks," Severus stated.

"Bloody hell!" Tonks blanched. "There must have been something in the punch that night," she muttered under hear breath.

If he hadn't spent all those years as a double agent, Severus would have gawked at the Auror in front of him.

"I am assuming that you are the expectant father." It was more statement than question.

Pondering his answer, Severus scowled. This was his own doing, right? Did he dare admit that he had Obliviated his lover and that was the reason Hermione was walking around with no knowledge of their first passionate night together?

"I need to speak to Potter," Severus declared.

--

Harry glared at his former professor. What the hell was the greasy git up to? Tonks shifted uneasily next to the door, unable to hear the conversation due to the Silencing Charm Snape had insisted upon. How he had managed not to hex the hell out him was beyond him. "Get on with it, Snape," he hissed. "And try to explain to me why I shouldn't hex you where you sit."

Severus leaned forward, clasping his hands and scowling. "I suggest you put your animosity toward me aside for the sake of your friends…and Miss Weasley."

"What do Ginny and Hermione have to do with this?" Harry asked, his suspicious eyes unwavering as he glared at Snape.

"You must understand, of course, that what I am about to tell is to remain between us and strictly off the record."

"Will you stop stalling?" Harry spat.

The wizard before him was quick, and Harry was startled to see Snape place his wand on the table.

"You must swear an oath." Snape's dark eyes bore into Harry's, causing Harry to look away.

"What have you done?" Harry asked.

"Swear to never repeat what I tell you," Snape coerced.

Begrudgingly, Harry unsheathed his wand and tapped it to Snape's. "I swear."

Seemingly content with the magically binding properties of the oath, Severus removed his wand from the table and leaned back. "Fred and George Weasley spiked the punch at the Second Annual Celebratory Ball with an experimental potion. The potion is a combination of several love and lust potions. You, Miss Weasley, Miss Granger, and I are all victims of this experiment."

"What does Hermione have to do with this?" Harry asked, his eyes wide with wonder.

"If you would let me finish, I will explain what I know." Severus stared at Harry.

Harry nodded.

"Some lust potions employ fertility ingredients."

"Those bastards!" Harry slammed his fist on the table. "I'm going to hex them! Ginny's pregnant and they are responsible!"

"Will you be quiet!" Severus commanded. "I have no interest in your impending fatherhood. Hermione is pregnant with my heir and I am unable to find her!"

Harry didn't know whether to laugh or be disgusted, a visual image of his friend with Snape playing in his mind.

Snape held his hand up for Harry to remain quiet. "There's more," Snape continued. "The morning after the ball, Hermione was hysterical. Words were exchanged. I was unable to make her see reason."

"What did you do to her, Snape?" Harry asked softly, fearing for his friend.

"You should understand that what I did was for her own good," Severus stated.

"What did you do?" Harry warned.

"I Obliviated her."

--

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

A/N -- I swear I don't plan the cliffhangers. They just kind of happen. Blame it on my sitcom, Jerry Springer mentality.

Chapter Thirteen --

Crookshanks swished his tail back and forth angrily as he lounged on the windowsill. He squinted at the moon, his stomach growling. Forgotten! He'd been forgotten! There was no food in his dish and his water was not fresh.

He thumped his tail back and forth, listening to the cars run up and down the lane. His mistress had abandoned him. His caretaker, Weasel's sister, had abandoned him as well, chased away by the Dark wizard.

Crookshanks' ears perked up hopefully as he heard someone jiggling the doorknob.

The door opened and two shadowy figures walked into the flat.

"He's over there," a familiar voice said quickly. "I told you I saw him in the windowsill."

Crookshanks meowed in welcome as Harry stumbled into some furniture.

"And how do you know she'll come back for the beast?"

The orange familiar hissed and growled, recognizing the Dark wizard's voice. Sniffing the air, Crookshanks could smell his mistress' scent upon the tall wizard. 

"_Lumos!_ Leave the lights off," Harry instructed. "Didn't you ever have a pet?"

"Yes," Snape replied, whispering the same incantation and lighting his way toward Hermione's bed.

"What happened to it?" Harry asked.

"Once it expired, I dissected it and harvested it for potion ingredients," Severus replied quickly.

Raising his wand, Harry looked at Snape. "Charming. No wonder Hermione refused your proposal."

"I don't seem to recall you making a proposal to Miss Weasely. Imagine how surprised her five brothers are going to be when it's discovered that someone they've held in such high esteem for so long has defiled their younger sister," Snape retorted.

"It would help if she answered her Floo," Harry muttered under his breath, walking over to Crookshanks. "All right, Crooks?" he asked, scratching the orange cat behind its ears.

"Meow," the cat answered nonchalantly, not wanting to bemoan his unfortunate circumstances.

"That blasted cat," Snape groused, sitting at his lover's desk.

"With an attitude like that, it's no wonder Crookshanks doesn't like you." Harry continued to pet the cat.

Snape jumped from the chair and toward the front door. "Be quiet, you bloody idiot. Someone is coming."

--

She'd Apparated as close as she could to the flat, in case the great greasy bat was lying in wait for her. She had to feed Crookshanks. The poor thing must be starving by now.

Opening the door, she called out to her ward. "I'm sorry I'm late, Crooks. I just couldn't take the chance that the git came back."

"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Weasley," Severus said, closing the door behind her. "Most people refer to me as the greasy git. Must be something to do with my hair."

Ginny withdrew her wand and turned it on Severus. "I won't go!" she shouted. "You can't make me!"

Severus closed the door and crossed his arms as if he hadn't a care in the world. "I'm not here to take you to your brothers and reveal your secret. I have something more important to attend to. However, I do suggest you sit down and discuss your condition with your paramour," he stated, his eyes looking over her shoulder. 

_"Expelliarmus!"_

Ginny's wand flew out of her hand and clattered to the floor. Seeing Harry standing near the cooker, Ginny ran toward her wand.

"_Accio_ Ginny's wand!" Harry shouted.

"Give me my wand back, Harry Potter!" she growled, advancing on her lover with reflexes honed from being the youngest girl in a family full of boys.

"_Rictusempra_ !" Harry muttered the incantation with a cheeky grin.

Scowling, Ginny could feel laughter bubble uncontrollably to the surface. "Leave…(cackle)…me…(snort)…alone…(cough), Harry!"

Harry smiled, his green eyes flashing. "You are going to sit down and listen to what I have to say."

"This will win her affection," Snape drawled as he watched Ginny double over with laughter.

"Sod off, Snape!" Harry snapped.

"I want you," gasped Ginny, "to sod off, Harry."

Doubled over, her sides aching, she could only see Harry's shoes.

"I'll release the spell if you promise to talk to me," Harry said, kneeling next to her. "But you have to promise."

Ginny laughed, tears in her eyes. "I promise…(giggle)…to listen right after…(cackle)…I hex your bollocks off."

"I'd watch out for her Bat-Bogey Hex," Snape muttered, shifting impatiently by the door. "As much as I've enjoyed watching your attempt at romance, Potter, I really must be going."

"Wait right there, Snape," Harry commanded. "I shan't have you going after Hermione without me."

Ginny frowned, tears from her unrestrained laughter flowing down her face. Snape had been looking for Hermione earlier.

Kneeling next to Ginny, Harry brushed her hair out of her face. "Please, Ginny. We need to talk. Swear you won't run away again."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha." Was the only response Harry received.

"_Finite Incantatem,_" Harry whispered, waving his wand and releasing the tickling spell. 

--

Walking down the hall to her flat, Hermione paused. Was that Ginny laughing so loud? Sheesh! Her neighbors were going to have a fit. She opened the door to the oddest scene. Harry was kneeling in front of Ginny and Ginny was on her hands and knees. "Oh my!"

Shocked green eyes met Hermione's. "Hi, Hermione," Harry greeted her, helping Ginny to her feet. "Ginny and I were just –"

"I don't need details," Hermione interrupted, holding up her hand and turning her head. From the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow move.

"_Incarcerous!_" a harsh, familiar voice exclaimed behind her as magical ropes wrapped around her, causing her to sway dangerously on her feet.

Managing to turn toward the voice, Hermione gasped, "Severus!"

His black robes flowed behind him as he rushed to catch her.

Landing in his arms, Hermione could feel the automatic tug of desire lull her into submission. "Let me go, Snape," she hissed, twisting in his arms like an unmanageable fish. "Harry, please! Please help me!"

Severus pulled her against him with a knowing leer. "Potter can't help you, Hermione." He dragged his wand across her cheek, and she felt a strange, nauseating tug throughout her body and heard a snap.

Opening her eyes, Hermione saw the room they had occupied earlier at the Leaky Cauldron. They had Apparated. She struggled against the ropes. "Release me this instant, Professor Snape." He looked angry.

"Not only have you broken your contract regarding my locket, you swore an oath to be my wife," Severus murmured against her ear. "I will leave the bindings in place until you agree to see reason or until I can arrange for someone with the authority to bind us."

Hermione swayed on her feet, exhilaration and dread thrumming through her veins. "You're a nutter! You've been around potion fumes too long! I shall never agree to this lunacy! You are the last wizard I would ever –"

His lips crushed hers, silencing her protests. She kept protesting, her muffled argument lost. His tongue pushed into her mouth, enticing the passion she was powerless to resist.  
Hermione groaned in welcome, struggling to release the magical bindings. The words of her vanity mirror taunted her. _He's poisoned you…lust potion. _

Severus broke the kiss, leaving both of them breathless. Her mind churning and clasping at that last thought, Hermione stared into his dark eyes. In them, she saw a void, a void that one did not oft see in Severus Snape. He was as powerless as she was.

She needed him, needed him to possess her. Needed him to sate the animalistic urge within her. She knew now only he could do so.

His hand trembled as it brushed her chestnut curls from her face. Hermione nuzzled the palm of his hand with her cheek, saddened that the passion she had shared with him wasn't real. "What have you done?" she whispered tremulously.

--

Hermione's impassioned question went unanswered as Severus ignored the chance for redemption and, instead, decided to continue the deception by persuading her to marry him. He tapped his wand against the bindings and muttered an incantation.

The ropes dissolved into a heap at his lover's feet. At least she wouldn't be able to run away, Severus thought with a satisfied smirk. Holding on to her arms, he placed fevered kisses along her jaw and neck.

He smiled as she groaned and leaned into him. "How can you deny this?" he asked between kisses, ripping her robe and blouse from her upper torso. "You…love me," he muttered, the nonsensical word sticking in his throat as though it was distasteful.

She whimpered, pushing against him and stepping out of the puddle of ropes. "I can't."

Feeling the edge of the bed against his knees he released her hands and ran his fingers through her wild hair. Seemingly oblivious to any semblance of decorum, Hermione tore at his clothing. Severus chuckled, her passionate gaze showing him that she had succumbed to the baser instincts of desire.

It killed him to push her away, as he grasped his wand and waved it between them. "_Divesto,_" he growled, feeling the clothes dissolve from his body and watching as her naked form appeared before him.

Severus reached for his lover, and leered when she pushed him onto the bed, and crawled on top of him. He humored her attempt for control and willingly heeled beneath her. She clutched the focal point of his existence and rubbed her delectable essence against his arousal.

Leaning forward, Hermione stared into his eyes and brushed her lips against his. "Now tell me what kind of lust potion you poisoned me with and why."

--

Hermione gritted her teeth, and held her wand tightly behind her back. She needed to concentrate. She needed to keep her wits about her. She'd made Outstandings on her N.E.W.T.s. Surely this would not be as difficult.

She grinned, watching Severus squirm beneath her. "Tell me," she whispered harshly.

"I am guiltless," he hissed, trying to move beneath her. "I am as much a victim of this cruel twist of fate as you are."

Pushing against his chest with one hand, she managed to gain more leverage over him. He was helpless beneath her. "That's almost humorous, coming from you. You're many things, but I've never pictured you as a victim."

--

Severus groaned and tried reaching for her hips and seat himself inside her. Hermione pulled her wand from behind her back and pointed it between his eyes. His eyes widened in surprise, and Severus suddenly realized a newfound respect for his former student.

"Tell me which lust potion you used so that I may brew the antidote, take it, and be rid of this…problem," Hermione growled in frustration both at her rising passion and her inability to get a straight answer from him.

"I am guiltless," he repeated breathlessly, playing to her. If she was angry with him now, imagine if she knew the truth. "I realized when I lured you to Hogwarts that something was amiss," he panted, trying his best to convince her. "Thoughts of you consumed me for days before I realized what was the matter."

He stared at the tip of her wand, praying silently that she would not act rashly. Of course she would, Severus thought scathingly. She was a bloody Gryffindor. With an agility he was unaware he possessed, Severus took the wand from her hand and rolled them over.

Flicking her wand, he murmured a binding spell that pulled her hands above her head and her legs apart.

"Release me!" she cried, her cinnamon eyes flashing angrily at him.

"I will do no such thing," he hissed vehemently, positioning himself before her slick channel.

"I hate you!" she affirmed hotly and struggled against the bindings.

"Your body betrays you," he murmured, his inflection tender yet concentrated as he nudged the tip of his sex between her wet entrance and stilled. "You must realize I would never willingly succumb to this irrational desire. Why would I poison myself? Why would I bind myself to the mercy of a lust potion?"

He inched into her, his arms shaking with the effort of holding himself over her. "Think, Hermione," he groaned. "Use your intelligence and ponder the accusation you have hurled so casually toward me. It makes no sense." Severus tilted his head and tugged one of her nipples into his mouth.

Hermione puled and twisted beneath him.

Severus pushed his entire length into her, beseeching the Fates to end his torment. He released her nipple. "I offer you solace from the gnawing ache that festers within your every thought. I offer you a father for your unborn child, a way to remain within the wizarding world where your friends are."

She cried out, mindlessly yielding to him.

"You have beguiled me ever since you set foot inside my classroom. You embody considerations I have long since thought absurd within the realm of my existence. You offer a child, one who I will cherish as my own. It matters not who his father is. Why can't you see this?"

Her eyes widened. If she were a practiced Legilimens, his ruse would have long been exposed.

"I believe your feelings to be genuine and true. Why do you struggle against them?" he asked on a whispered plea, unable to resist the urge to rock his hips into hers. "I –" he stammered, "care for you. I've acted upon honest affections. You must remember basic potions. Lust potions only have the desired effect unless those infected share a degree of attachment." His lie skirted dangerously on the edge of truth, a truth he would never permit himself to entertain, much less admit to.

Hermione mewled in response and he sneered. She was almost gone to reason and he realized that now was the time for her to decide. His rhythm was purposefully gentle within her, emphasizing his intentions.

He called for his wand and, once in his hand, placed her wand in hers. Gently closing her fist around the instrument, Severus hoped against hope that she wouldn't hex his bits off. "Finite Incantatem. Now is your chance," he whispered. "I am at your mercy. You can ask anything of me."

--

Pulling her hands and ankles free from the enchanted bindings, Hermione pushed against Severus with all her might, breaking their intimate connection and managing to usurp him. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't hex your bollocks off," she menaced, jabbing her wand into his hip.

"If that is what you want," Severus replied as he shifted under her. "But I fail to see how that will help you or your child."

"How is it that you and I became infected with this…problem?" Hermione demanded, wanting so many answers but not knowing which questions to ask. Her mind was muddled with lecherous, indecent thoughts.

"I do not know." His words were a strangled whisper.

"Where is the antidote?" she asked in earnest, trying to ignore the aching throb of desire.

"There isn't one," he replied truthfully. 

Worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, Hermione struggled to keep her head clear.

Severus grumbled and flexed his hands on her thighs. "You feel the desire seething inside you. Ease the ache. Use me as I have used you. Take your leave of me and be done with me."

She closed her eyes and whimpered. "Why me?" she asked, her voice the barest of whispers, as she rocked her hips back and forth over his attentive masculinity. She dropped her wand on the duvet.

With a hesitant hand, Severus reached for her and grasped several of her unruly curls. Tugging her toward him, he replied, "Because I…care for you."

Her lips brushed against his and she sighed, welcoming the gentle invasion of his body into hers. His hands clasped her hips and coaxed her into a rhythm. 

She could feel herself tighten like a spring wound too tightly and gave herself over to the satisfying rush of lust that flooded her very soul.

--

Severus snapped the paper open, content with the progression of the latest events. His _fiancée _was still upstairs, lying in after the exhaustive night they'd had. He'd contacted the Ministry and had arranged for an official to marry them. He and Hermione had an appointment in a few hours. After the "ceremony," they would Apparate to Hogsmeade and would be at Hogwarts in time for…

Bloody hell! Three days! Having spent the last three days either trying to convince Hermione or find her, he had completely forgotten his duties at Hogwarts. He must Floo Albus at once.

Standing, Severus tossed a Galleon on the table for the barmaid's troubles. Just then the door to the Leaky Cauldron slammed opened and Severus' accomplice from yesterday stormed toward the stairs leading up to the boarding rooms. 

"Potter!" Severus shouted across the tavern, ignoring the other early-morning patrons.

Harry's robes swirled around him as he turned toward Snape. His hair was tousled and his eyes were flashing green beacons of anger. One of his eyes was almost swollen shut and sporting various black and blue marks. "Where is Hermione?" he asked, his tone without a hint of civility.

Instead of answering, Severus gave in to the temptation to goad the other man. Next to shagging Hermione, it was his favorite hobby. "I take it that you failed in your reconciliation attempts with Miss Weasley," he sneered. "Perhaps hexing her wasn't the best course of action."

"I never should have taken that oath," Harry spat. "I've made a pact with the devil. Every time I tried telling Ginny about the potion I would start coughing uncontrollably. Then Ron showed up and we had a row. Tonks had told him that Ginny was pregnant."

Severus couldn't help the small chuckle of satisfaction.

Harry shook his head, as if suddenly remembering why he was there. "What have you done with Hermione?"

"Hermione is none of your concern," Severus replied gingerly, as if bored.

Smirking, Harry handed Severus a parchment. "Yes, she is. The Ministry has issued a warrant for her arrest."

--

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen --

Hermione shifted uneasily in the uncomfortable wooden chair. Harry had assured her that she wasn't in any kind of trouble, but she still had no idea why she was here. Harry had kept coughing so much that she'd barely understood a word he had said. Severus had looked dark, almost unreachable.

His scowl had been firmly in place ever since Harry had shown up. He was brooding. She had witnessed that brooding scowl so many times during potions class. So many of her fantasies were built around that scowl…and that classroom.

The door opened and excited chatter shattered Hermione's reverie.

"Did you really hex Ron when you found out?" Ginny asked excitedly as she walked into the room.

"Yes," Luna replied dreamily and followed the redheaded witch into the room. "Now he has the morning sickness."

Hermione stood, her smile hesitant. "Ginny! Luna!" she exclaimed, relief clearly showing in her face.

Ginny smiled knowingly. "You too?"

"Me too, what?" Hermione asked.

"You're pregnant," Luna stated matter-of-factly.

Hermione gasped. Only Severus and her reflection knew of her condition. And since her mirror couldn't go anywhere…She was going to hex Severus until he pleaded for mercy. Unfortunately, he'd probably enjoy it!

"N-no, I'm not," Hermione stammered.

Just as Hermione lied, Tonks entered the room and closed the door gently behind her. "You're not what?" she questioned curiously.

"Pregnant," whispered Hermione, her face ashen and lifeless.

Conjuring some more chairs, Tonks frowned. "Are you certain, Hermione? Severus informed me that you were…" Tonks unrolled a parchment and perused the writing. "…with child."

She could feel Ginny and Luna's curious stares. Now they knew. If she needed to keep something a secret, she couldn't tell him anything. She didn't want anybody to know. Not only was she single and pregnant, she had no clue as to who the father was.

"I'm afraid that he is mistaken," Hermione stated, pulling out her chair and sitting down.

Ginny sat next to Hermione and grasped one of her hands and gave it a squeeze. "Hermione, it's okay if you're pregnant. Both Luna and I are. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Luna nodded in agreement, sitting across the table.

"It'll be awesome," Ginny continued. "Our children can go to Hogwarts together, and –"

Hermione pulled away from Ginny and laughed. "I am not pregnant," she repeated slowly.

"Oh really?" Tonks' voice asked behind Hermione. "Then how do you explain this?"

She hadn't seen the Auror go behind her. Hermione gasped when Tonks placed her wand on the table, the tip of it a glowing pale blue. Indignation and fear crept through her. This was worse then Snape proposing to her. Now all she needed was for Rita Skeeter to write an article and publish it on the front page of the Daily Prophet.

Tears threatened to spill onto her cheeks so Hermione swiped at them angrily. "No one was supposed to know," she whispered. "I –"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Hermione," Luna sighed. "We're all pregnant."

"And…unmarried," Ginny whispered, trying her best to offer comfort.

Hermione sniffed and looked at Ginny. "Harry's the father, right?" 

Ginny nodded, her eyes shiny with tears.

Hermione turned to Luna. "And Ron's the father?"

Luna smiled. "He's got the morning sickness to prove it."

Ginny and Tonks started laughing, but Hermione bowed her head.

"I wish I would have thought to hex Harry with the Empathy Curse," Ginny sighed wistfully.

Hermione listened to the banter, her patience and nerves wearing thin. She felt horrible. She felt wicked. She felt like a harlot who flitted from man to man in search of sexual conquest after sexual conquest. Her problem, of course, was that she couldn't get enough of Severus. Luna had Ron, and Ginny had Harry. Sure, Ginny may be at odds with Harry, but at least she knew who the father of her baby is.

"I almost feel sorry for my brother," Ginny continued. "First you hex him, and then I blackmail him. Mum and Dad will go ballistic when they find out."

Listening to the friendly exchange, Hermione felt a new batch of tears threaten. She could feel Tonks' watchful stare. 

"What is it, Hermione?" Tonks questioned. "You have nothing to worry about. Severus obviously intends to marry you."

Ginny gasp and Luna guffawed.

"Is that why Professor Snape was looking for you?" asked Ginny. "He's the father of your baby!"

Hermione wished it were true. She buried her head in her hands and let the tears flow freely. "No," she cried, "he isn't the father. I don't know…who the…father…is."

"Severus has to be the father," Tonks insisted calmly. "He's obviously under the influence of the lust potion. Why else would he file the complaint against you?"

Hermione sniffled, her eyes wide with surprise. "What complaint?"

--

Severus stared at the offensive object and pushed it away. "I have my own Pensieve. I absolutely refuse to use a public one."

"You're the one who filed the complaint against Hermione! Once you filed the complaint, we were required to bring Hermione in for a rebuttal. Then you disappeared with her, so I pushed the parchment through for the warrant. We can't actually arrest her until you provide the proof in the Pensieve." Harry remarked with a scowl. "We need to look at your memory in order to see if you have a valid complaint."

Severus jumped up and started pacing the length of the visitor's lounge. "What is taking so long? What do they want Hermione for? She did nothing wrong!"

Harry sneered. "Then do you wish to withdrawal your complaint?"

Severus ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Potter?"

How much longer would he have to suffer like this? He was so close to his goal. He stared at the hourglass and continued pacing.

"I shall withdraw the complaint once Hermione is bound to me," hissed Snape, his aggravation growing.

The prat sat back in his chair and smiled at him. "Perhaps if you hadn't Obliviated her, you wouldn't be in this mess."

"Shut up, Potter," Severus exclaimed. "Who are you to lecture me?"

"I'm Hermione's friend," Harry warned softly.

Smiling, Severus stopped pacing and leaned over the table. "An unfortunate fact which I will remedy once she is mine," he leered menacingly in his best make-a-first-year-cry tone.

"I may not be able to tell her what you did," Harry replied, "but she will find out. It's only a matter of time." Harry sat forward as if daring Snape to enter his mind.

"Tonks is pregnant too. It didn't take her long to figure out where and when she was poisoned with the lust potion. When she found out Ginny and Hermione were pregnant, she took her findings to Moody. There is now a formal investigation underway."

--

"What complaint?" Hermione repeated the question. What had Severus done now?

Tonks sighed. "The complaint has yet to be processed. It will probably be withdrawn now that you and he have patched things up."

"Firstly, Severus is not the father of my child. I think I would remember if…if…we…well, you know. Secondly, we have not patched things up," Hermione stated logically. This entire conversation was insane.

"There is nothing to 'patch up' between us," she finished and bit her bottom lip from commenting further. She could feel the blush rise in her cheeks. This was insane _and_ embarrassing. Hermione prayed that her dignity would remain intact through this episode. Ginny and Luna were watching the exchange like they were taking mental notes for the gossip column, and seeing as Luna's father was the editor of The Quibbler, that was not a good thing.

"Well, Sev is under the impression that you swore you would marry him," Tonks informed Hermione as the Auror leaned back in her chair. "He came here yesterday to file the complaint that you reneged on an oath."

"Surely, there's been a misunderstanding," Ginny chuckled nervously. "Hermione would never agree to marry Snape."

Tonks placed several scrolls on the desk. "Whether or not Hermione did or did not agree to marry Snape is not at issue here. I've come to discuss what the three of you remember about the ball several weeks ago."

Ginny had the decency to blush while Luna smiled wistfully.

Tonks cleared her throat to continue. "Have any of you felt compelled to…copulate with a specific wizard and or multiple wizards since the ball?" Tonks' cheeks turned a pale pink to match her hair. 

"Ronald is insatiable when he isn't having morning sickness," Luna stated unperturbed by the question. "I can't seem to keep my hands off him."

Ginny bowed her head a mumbled into her chest. "Just Harry."

Hermione couldn't believe it. They knew! The Ministry knew about the lust potion. She didn't know whether to be relieved or afraid.

Tonks waited for Hermione's reply, oblivious to the younger witch's inner turmoil.

The ball! Something had happened at the ball! An image of Severus standing by the punch bowl flitted through her mind. His typical Slytherin mechanizations to bed her set wheels of cognizant, precise emotions racing through her mind. For the first time in weeks her intellect was unfettered by the driving lust that thrummed through her veins.

Had Severus spiked the punch? Were his words over the last few days meaningless?

Hermione shot out of her chair and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Tonks. "We're not finished here."

Hermione's eyes flashed angrily. "To find Snape," she murmured ferociously. "I want some answers."

Ignoring Tonks' protestations, Hermione stalked through the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in search of her lover. Doubt slivered through her conviction as she harnessed the lustful instinct to claim Severus. That would lead her to him. He would give her the answers she sought even if she had to cast an Unforgivable on him.

"I must speak with her," Severus' voice bellowed down the hallway

"Hermione!" Tonks shouted after her.

A door swung open forcefully and Snape stormed through it with Harry close on his heels. Harry was coughing.

"Unless you are going to charge me with something," Hermione shouted, "leave me alone!"

Another door flew open and Moody limped into the hallway with his wand drawn. He pointed it between Hermione and Severus. "All of you, in my office now! For Merlin's sake, Potter. Take a cough potion or go home!"

Severus stared at Hermione, his obsidian eyes boring into her brown ones as if he were pleading for forgiveness. "This is pointless, Alastor," he stated, his inflection low with meaning. "Miss Granger and I have reconciled and I wish to withdraw my complaint."

"Complaint! Reconciled!" Hermione scoffed. "What are you talking about?" Her cheeks were flushed with anger and she could feel her heart hammering in her chest.

"Now is not the time, my love," Severus purred convincingly, trying to pull Hermione into his arms.

The endearment angered her further as her memory swirled in images that were long forgotten. He was standing by the punch bowl.

_She approached the levitating punch bowl with wary hesitation. Snape was sulking next to it, glass in hand and staring at various couples as they danced around the floor. If it wasn't for the desperate thirst she felt, she would never have approached the refreshment stand._

"Accio cup," she said, waving her wand with a smirk. After all he hated foolish wand-waving. Scooping some punch into her cup, she took a small sip and tried not to gag. 

"Get away from me!" she hissed and pulled away from him. "I can't believe you. You did it! You've lied to me all along. You put the lust potion in the punch!" Hermione pulled her wand from her sleeve and pointed it at Severus as if her life were in mortal danger.

Moody stepped in front of Hermione. "I've heard enough," he stated gruffly. "Relinquish your wand, Severus. You're under arrest."

She couldn't see him, but Hermione heard the dangerous tone of Severus' words. "It is unfortunate, Alastor. As usual you have jumped to the wrong conclusion. Miss Granger's accusation is based on circumstantial evidence at best."

Hermione peered around Moody, her eyes locking with Severus'.

"You may want to bring George and Fred Weasley in for questioning," Severus droned. "They are the ones who spiked the punch with their combination lust-love potion."

--

Harry could feel the instant rush of relief once Snape had spoken the truth. The oath he had sworn was null and void. Taking a deep breath and grinning at Snape, Harry spoke. "He's telling the truth. He made me take a wizard's oath," Harry wheezed, his sides still cramping from all the coughing. "Fred and George did spike the punch."

Harry took Hermione by the shoulders and turned her to face him. "He's the father, 'Mione. He Obliviated you so you wouldn't remember."

--

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen –

Even through the Silencing Charm, Hermione could tell that Ginny and Harry were arguing. He was trying to console Ginny who was near hysterical that her brothers had been implicated.

Harry and Tonks had been removed from the investigation due to their conflict of interest. Kingsley Shacklebolt had been sent to bring the twins in, and Moody had finished questioning Luna, who had probably gone home to her father and given an exclusive interview for The Quibbler.

At least Harry and Ginny were talking, which was more than she could say about herself and Severus. He was sitting across the room, his arms crossed across his chest and scowling. He hadn't even tried to talk to her, much less explain what he had done. The bastard acted as if he was the injured party!

She wanted to hex him and shag him at the same time. The bloody bastard had Obliviated her. Then he had lied to her. He had tried to convince her to marry him based on a bed of lies. He'd led her to believe that she was nothing more than a wanton whore who could have bedded anyone that fateful night.

She was beyond angry. She was livid. Harry's announcement had incited a rage within her that she didn't know she was capable of. Through it all, the twisted lies, the manipulations, the sex…she'd managed to see something she didn't think possible.

Severus Snape was desperate.

Pity. She'd actually felt sorry for the bastard.

They were drawn together by a sick twist of fate – a fate that was the result of George and Fred Weasley and their total lack of disregard for the safety of others. If she should be angry with anyone, it should be them. They were the ones who had poisoned Severus and her. They were the ones who had ruined her carefully crafted, yet totally boring, future.

She was obviously in no condition to support a child. She was barely able to support herself at this point in her plan. Gringotts paid well and she had savings, but her savings would not convert to much in the Muggle world.

If she ever saw them again, it would be too soon. They would be lucky to walk away from her with their dangling bits still intact.

Yes, they were the architects of the lust potion that drove her and Severus to mate like wild animals. But it still didn't excuse what Severus had done to her.

A single one-word question lingered in her mind. It encompassed any and all questions she could possibly ask him. "Why?"

--

This was not how he'd envisioned the end of the day. He had expected to be married to the woman who stood in front of him with her wildly unattractive hair and flashing angry eyes. Her silence was unnerving.

Whoever said revenge was a dish best served cold had never witnessed his wrath. In keeping with his profession, Severus enjoyed brewing the many subtle ingredients of revenge. If it hadn't been for the bloody prat, Potter, Severus would be married to Hermione by now. His future and that of his unborn child would be secure.

Potter would be the first to taste the cruel smattering of revenge.

The twins would suffer equally. Severus would take great pleasure watching them wallow in Azkaban after their trial.

Severus was so busy plotting his revenge he barely heard his lover's question.

"Why?"

The question was too difficult to answer. No amount of scheming, much less words would assuage her ever-questioning intellect. There was only one way to answer her question.

Grabbing the Pensieve Potter had tried to get him to use earlier, he touched the tip of his wand against his temple and pulled a silvery memory out and placed it gently in the bowl.

"This is not a memory I care to retain," he muttered softly and held the bowl out to her. "I trust you to dispose of this properly. It would not do for others to witness the…encounter."

Hermione hesitated. "What is it?" she asked.

Severus grabbed hold of her hand and eased the bowl and its contents into her arms. "You asked why I Obliviated you, did you not?"

Hermione nodded, her eyes wide.

"Your answer lies within the bowl."

"Why?" she repeated calmly, setting the bowl on the table. "Why did you continue to lie? Why did you lead me to believe the worst?"

Severus moved toward the door. "Because, Miss Granger," he leered, "it is my nature. Blame it on the potion – the potion that still exhorts its powers over both of us. I could continue to lie and say that I Obliviated you for your own good, but you're much too intelligent to believe anything like that."

"I could tell you that I love you, but the truth is that I did what was in my best interest and that of my unborn child. Besides, you're much too intelligent to believe that load of tripe."

--

Hermione recoiled, his words destroying the last of any hope for his redemption. The last vestiges of any schoolgirl fantasies she may have had about him vanished.

Severus Snape was a cold, calculating, man – a Slytherin. She didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't this.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Severus sighed in resignation, "I shall be on the third floor, awaiting your arrival. I had arranged for a Ministry official to marry us this morning and will attempt the next available appointment."

"What?" she exclaimed.

"You are pregnant with my heir," he explained, his inflection flat and harsh. "We will be bound today in a civil ceremony and attempt –"

"No, we will not," Hermione hissed through clenched teeth. She'd heard enough. What had she expected? The man before her harbored no attritional qualities within his character whatsoever. He would never admit that what he had done was wrong. He was barmy if he thought she would actually consider marrying him. 

With quick reflexes that made Hermione gasp, Severus pulled out his wand and cast a Disillusionment Charm around them. Before she could react, she was pulled into a passionate embrace.

His invasive kiss met with little resistance. It was precise and calculating, plotted to remind her that he could invoke the lustful longing for him with a crook of his little finger.

Feeling the unwelcome tug of desire, Hermione whimpered and felt him harden beneath her. The kiss was over before it had begun.

Severus stepped back, the look in his obsidian eyes revealing nothing. "Not only are you powerless to refuse me physically, I could undress you where you stand and take what I need. You would welcome me with euphoric abandon and beg for more," he stated, appearing to be unaffected by the torrent of need thrumming through her now-enticed body. "You took an oath to marry me. If need be, I will pursue restitution. You will not leave the wizarding world with my child. I shall not permit it."

She'd almost forgotten about the complaint he had filed. "I would rather spend the rest of my life in Azkaban than marry you," she retorted breathlessly, resisting the urge to hex him.

"That may come to pass," Severus replied, circling her like a predator. "But know this. I will have my heir…and you in my bed."

Hermione grinned. "Do you really think the Wizengamot will indict me? After all, I'm under the influence of a potion that makes me do things against my better judgment."

--

Harry peered wearily over Ginny's shoulder, torn over consoling the inconsolable and helping Hermione. The bastard had set up a Disillusionment Charm.

"I won't press charges," Ginny sniffled against Harry's shoulder. "They didn't do it. Professor Snape is lying."

There was no conviction in her words and Harry did his best to calm her. It was as though Ginny had finally realized what her twin brothers were actually capable of. He had no doubts. Their escape from Umbridge was testament to that. Harry didn't dare disagree with her.

The door to the visitor's lounge opened and Arthur and Molly Weasley walked in. Ron followed them, looking ill, but glaring at Harry nonetheless. Harry had never seen the Weasleys looking so dour.

Whispering an incantation, Harry removed the Silencing Charm.

Seeing her parents, Ginny pulled away from him and ran into the open arms of her mother. "Mum," she whimpered.

Judging by the dirty look that Molly was giving him, they obviously knew about Ginny's delicate condition. He bristled under the scrutiny. After all, it took two people to get pregnant the last time he checked, or four in this matter. George and Fred were in a heap of trouble.

"Harry," Arthur said, motioning for him to follow him. "May I have a word with you?"

Harry cringed and fingered the small box in his trousers' pocket, the proof of his intentions. He'd been trying to propose to Ginny for the last several days, but she had refused him. Now was definitely not the time to ask her father to help him.

"Yes, sir," Harry replied, trying his best to ignore Ron's icy stare.

"Fred and George…" Arthur's voice caught with emotion, "are giving their statements now. Molly is understandably upset. She hasn't been feeling well for several weeks now. When we found out what the twins did, we realized that Molly was pregnant. It was doubly disturbing to find that Ginny and Luna were pregnant as well."

"Sir," Harry stammered, "I love your daughter and -- "

Arthur put his hand up. "I do not doubt your intentions toward Ginny. I must admit that we were surprised by the…news. But our primary concern is George and Fred. I was…um…wondering about the investigation and –"

"I've been taken off the investigation," Harry stated softly. "I have no intention of lodging a complaint against George or Fred. I doubt Ginny would ever agree to marry me if I played any part in sending her brothers to Azkaban."

The door to the lounge opened again, and Tonks poked her head through the door and looked around. "Wotcher, Harry. Where's Sev and 'Mione?"

Harry motioned toward the other side of the room and was startled to see the Disillusionment Charm had been removed. Snape looked furious and Hermione looked wary. Instinctively, he reached for his wand. 

"Moody has managed to get two Interrogators for a preliminary hearing. They're ready," Tonks informed everyone in the room.

"Ah," Severus drawled, "hopefully a quick and expedient trial." He walked out of the room, paying no mind to the contemptuous stares.

"It's a preliminary hearing," Tonks called after him.

--

Hermione stared at Severus' retreating back, her frustration and anger over his attitude confounding her. The wizard had obviously been around potion fumes for too long.

"All right, "Mione?" Ron asked her with a weak smile as he walked up to her. He looked pale and tired.

Returning his smile, Hermione hooked her arm through his and followed him into the hall. "How are you feeling?" she asked. Unlike Ron, she could take an anti-nausea potion. He'd been cursed. There was no remedy for that other than the counter-curse. 

Ron blushed and shrugged his shoulders. "Luna blames me," he stated solemnly, "when she should have been blaming George and Fred all along."

"I can't believe you and Professor Snape, er…" Ron's voice trailed off tactfully.

Hermione pulled away from Ron with a startled gasp. She had been so rattled by Severus' threat and Tonks' announcement, she had almost forgotten the memory in the Pensieve.

"I have to go back to the lounge," she called out to Tonks as she pulled away from Ron and started to walk backwards. "Would it be possible to wait a few minutes?"

"We'll be on level ten, courtroom ten," Tonks replied and punched the button for the elevator.

Severus scowled at Hermione.

Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Hermione smiled as she walked away. The wizard was delusional if he thought the Pensieve would change anything. She closed the door behind her and sat down.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled the bowl toward her and plunged her face into the memory.

_It was like watching a show, no emotions, just words and action. She cringed as she watched herself fall out of his bed. Even then Severus wore the sardonic smile she'd come to love and hate in the same breath. He was gloating._

She accused him of drugging her.

He snapped a retort.

Now she knew. She knew who had been responsible. Severus had tried to warn her about the punch, obviously not successfully. Had he tried to warn the others?

"You of all wizards should realize how incompetent Fred and George Weasley are when potions are involved! You're deceitful. Exactly what I would expect of a Slytherin. But to stoop to illegal potions? Surely there are prostitutes who could overlook your hooked nose, greasy hair, and yellow teeth. Isn't that what they are paid for?" 

Hermione winced at the cruel, baseless words. She hardly recognized herself and couldn't help but feel ashamed. Why had she acted like that? 

Pulling her head out of the Pensieve, Hermione shuddered. Surely that wasn't her. Her words were vicious, obviously meant to wound him. The problem was that this was his memory. It was obviously skewed in his favor. Her memory had been Obliviated, lost to her forever. There was no answer in the Pensieve. Severus had manipulated her again.

Somehow she resisted the urge to toss the contents of the bowl out. Instead, Hermione pointed her wand at the silvery wisp and directed it to her temple. She would keep his memory with her for now so that she could study it later. 

--

Purposefully isolating himself from the others, Severus watched the Weasley family reunion with veiled disgust. The twins were blithering idiots, hurling apologies left and right at everyone, except him. Not that he needed an apology. He would settled for an annual report from Azkaban.

"We had wondered where you'd gone off to, Severus," a familiar voice said behind him. 

Severus turned around to see Albus standing behind him. The old wizard was dressed in a long purple robe with a silver W embroidered on its chest. This did not bode well. Dumbledore was sitting judgment over two criminals he had helped to create.

"My apologies, Headmaster," Snape drawled softly. "I was so consumed with my personal affairs, I neglected my duties at Hogwarts. As you can see, I've been under the power of some dreadfully powerful Dark Magic."

"I'm well aware of your predicament, Severus," Albus stated, with a twinkle in his azure eyes. "Love does make people do crazy things. Nevertheless, please be assured that your students are being well taken care of. Hagrid has been following your lesson plan and –"

His eyes went wide. "Love? Hagrid instructing potions? What madness have I descended into?" 

Stroking his long beard, Albus smiled. "Hagrid and Professor Flitwick have been covering your class. You aren't mad and Hagrid and Flitwick have gained a proficiency of the Vanishing Spell that has exceeded both their expectations."

"As for being in love…" Albus paused. "I never thought I would live to witness the event." Peering around the room, Albus finally met Severus' incredulous stare. "Where is Miss Granger anyway?"

He was asleep. He had to be. He was having a nightmare. He'd had his share of nightmares in his time, but the ones that disturbed him most involved Albus twinkling at him.

"Are you telling me that you believe me to be in love with Hermione Granger?" he asked.

The twinkle left the old wizard's eye as he peered over Severus' shoulder at George and Fred Weasley. "The Weasley twins have been very cooperative. They aren't very adept at using a Pensieve, but with practice I'm certain the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes will be able to come up with an antidote…if need be."

"There is a need," Severus hissed. "I wish to rid myself of this…this problem."

Albus almost looked sympathetic. "Love is problematic, especially when it is driven by an external force. The twins are facing a serious charge and possible time in Azkaban. But I'm certain no one will press charges."

The door to courtroom ten opened and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Ameila Bones, walked in. "Is every one present and accounted for?" she asked, her voice stern and professional.

As lead investigator, Shacklebolt looked around the room. "I believe Miss Granger is –"

"I'm here," Hermione announced breathlessly, leaning against the door and holding her side.

Her hair was wild and her cheeks were flushed, an expression Severus was all too familiar with. Severus clamped down on his lecherous thoughts.

"Good," Amelia stated and took her place in the Judge's balcony. "Shall we begin?"

Albus nodded and took his place next to Amelia. "Yes," Albus replied.

"Firstly, Mister Shacklebolt," Judge Bones said, "what kind of reassurance do I have that this is it?"

Kingsley handed a scroll to her. "This is a guest list of everyone who was in attendance at the ball. We've contacted everyone and only found the following were affected: Hermione Jane Granger, Luna Lovegood, Remus John Lupin, Harry James Potter, Severus Snape, Nymphadora Tonks, Arthur Weasley, Ginevra Molly Weasley, Molly Weasley, and Ronald Bilius Weasley."

Severus noticed George and Fred glancing around worriedly. The bloody prats were going to pay for what they'd done to him.

Albus looked over his spectacles and down his nose. "If the Aurors could conjure chairs for everyone to sit down? The proceedings may take a while."

Severus walked up to Hermione and wasted no time conjuring his own chair and one for his lover. He was surprised when she took it and sat down.

"Thank you," she muttered softly.

--

Amelia Bones cleared her throat. "Thank you, Auror Shacklebolt," she said with a nod and glanced down at her parchment. "Now, let me see if I have this right. Auror Tonks initiated this investigation upon the realization that she and Mister Lupin were under the influence of a lust potion."

"Yes, Madame Bones," Tonks stated. "Remus and I drank the punch at the ball. It tasted funny. Actually it tasted horrible. When we arrived –"

"Thank you, Auror Tonks. That will be all," Amelia interrupted, obviously not wanting to hear too many details about the effects of the potion. "What led you to suspect Fred and George Weasley?"

Motioning toward Severus, Tonks answered the Interrogator. "Professor Snape was standing by the punch bowl."

"And you jumped to the conclusion that I was the one responsible for perpetrating the crime?" Severus asked, his tone somewhat offended.

Hermione looked at him and felt a speck of guilt course through her. He had been treated unfairly, not only by her, but by everyone else too. 

"Professor Snape, would you please refrain from interrupting the proceedings," Madame Bones stated. "I assure you. You will have the opportunity to have your say."

Hermione heard Severus growl softly.

"First of all," Dumbledore called out, "there have been no formal charges. This is a preliminary hearing. George and Fred Weasley have exercised a serious lack of judgment."

"Quite right," the twins agreed readily, looking behind them with wide, pleading eyes.

Hermione glared at both of them. Azkaban was too good for them. They'd probably play pranks on the Dementors and get away with it.

"I suggest both of you remain quiet," Albus warned the twins.

Madame Bones put her hand on Albus' sleeve. "Please continue, Auror Tonks."

Tonks sighed. "As I was saying, I suspected Professor Snape at first." Tonks turned toward Severus. "Which I apologize for profusely."

Severus snorted, doing nothing to contain his contempt over the proceedings.

"When we confronted him, he informed us about George and Fred and his suspicions that they had spiked the punch."

Hermione glanced at the man sitting next to her. Flashes of the Pensieve memory played in her mind. She had no context in which to put the scene. Any emotion she'd attached to it was gone.

He'd tried telling her that the punch was spiked, and she had turned against him. The things she'd said had been horrendous and unfair. So, he'd been standing by the punch bowl and he was a Potions master. She'd jumped to the same conclusion a seasoned if somewhat ditzy Auror had. Years of thinking the worst of him had conditioned her to go on the offensive with him.

Madame Bones unrolled another scroll. "I have a preliminary report from the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Based on the Pensieve memories George and Fred Weasley supplied and everyone's…symptoms, we were able to deduce this much. The potion has very complex spell work, which has enhanced the rudimentary properties of the, er, physical symptoms. Not only is there a fertility proponent, there is something else everyone needs to be aware of."

Hermione could sense Severus stiffen next to her as if he knew something she didn't.

"The Weasley twins combined the lust potions with a variety of several love potions. We've identified the primary love potion, which is very specific in its desired effects. The Verus Amor potion is just that…a true love potion. If taken by predestined partners, they will be drawn to one another inexorably and bound to one another for the rest of their natural lives."

Amelia Bones' words reverberated through Hermione like a torrent of wonderment. Predestined partners? True love? Bound?

Did he love her? That was an impossibility that dared to be measured. He hated her, and had reminded her of that fact ever since she'd raised her hand that first day when she'd taken her seat in Potions class.

The idea was absurd. Yes, she loved the sneaky bastard who had Obliviated her and manipulated her for the last several weeks. What was worse was he knew it. He'd forced her to realize it when he peered into her mind. She loved him before the ball, before the bloody potion. Would the embarrassment of it never end?

That was it! That was the reason! That was the reason why she had said those awful things. Fear he would discover the truth. She'd lashed out at him in an attempt at self-preservation. She loved him and she was afraid of his reaction.

Severus was anything but emotionally available. Loving him was like loving a granite statue.

"The Veru Amor potion is strictly forbidden," Dumbledore stated. "The brewing of it is illegal and cause for an immediate three-month sentence to Azkaban."

Hermione cringed as Molly Weasley started to weep. 

"However," Albus continued above Molly's wails, "the sentence will be rescinded due to extenuating circumstances."

"I knew I would see no justice with him sitting judgment over the Weasley brats," Hermione heard Severus mumble.

"Seeing as Miss Granger, Miss Lovegood, Miss Tonks, Miss Weasley and Missus Weasley are with child, Amelia and I have come to what we hope to be an equitable solution."

Hermione put her hand on Severus' thigh in an attempt to silence his protests. He stilled beneath her touch.

"As Chief Warlock, it is within my authority to render judgment right now. This is what Madame Bones and I have proposed. All assets and ownership of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes are to be divided between the victims of this 'experiment.' George and Fred Weasley will stay and run the day-to-day operations of the business with their salary going toward a trust fund for the education of the children who will be born as a result of their 'experiment." Albus pushed his spectacles up his nose and continued to read from the parchment before him.

A low murmur could be heard around the room as the other couples discussed the announcement. Fred and George were uncharacteristically silent.

"If any of the pregnancies should result in termination or any other unforeseen event, the salaries will go into an annuity for the injured party."

"This is preposterous," Severus growled softly. "I don't need money."

"Of course," Dumbledore announced with finality, "this offer is only good if criminal charges are not filed. If the full Wizengamot is convened, it may take decades for the estate of Fred and George Weasley to be divided amongst the victims. Does anyone here wish to file criminal charges against Fred and George Weasley?"

Molly Weasley raised her hand and everyone gasped.

"Molly?" Albus asked.

Standing, Molly wrung her hands together nervously. "May we ask for provisions other than what you've given us?"

"Mother!" The twins exclaimed.

Albus nodded.

"Arthur and I were planning on traveling now that all of our children are grown. Seeing as we will be unable to travel as much with a new baby, I ask the court for childcare provisions," she stated simply, glaring at her twins and seemingly daring them to argue.

Good one, Molly, Hermione thought with a smile. Those prats are going to wish for time in Azkaban by the time she was through with them.

Madame Bones stifled a chuckle. "Add the provision to the parchment, Albus."

Ron and Luna asked for the provision of childcare too. Then Harry raised his hand.

"I would like to request a provision," he stated as he stood up.

"Will there be no end to this miscarriage of justice?" Hermione heard Severus ask. "I've no intention of not pressing charges. Azkaban will do them a world of good."

Hermione shivered, knowing Severus' intentions. They were not idle words. He was a man of action. She was fairly confident that everyone would agree to the contract. But Severus would never go along with it. 

Harry stood in front of Madame Bones and Professor Dumbledore. "I request that George and Fred Weasley be placed under magical observation."

George scoffed. "Will this never end?"

Fred nudged his twin. "Shut up, George!"

"I suggest both of you be quiet," Albus warned. "Your fate rests entirely on the good graces of those upon whom you've seen fit to experiment. Remus, Nymphadora, do either of you have any addendums to the contract?"

Tonks smiled. "No, sir."

Remus shook his head, agreeing with his lover.

Albus' expression became grave as he stared at the man sitting next to Hermione. "Severus, would you like to add anything?"

Hermione glanced at Molly and Arthur, Arthur's worried eyes brimming with unshed, hopeful tears. Molly shed her tears unabashedly. They were her other parents, the ones who helped her with wizarding ways. The same could be said of Ginny, the sister she never had. George and Fred were the older brothers she was glad she never had. These people were her second family, the family she had been determined to leave when she found out she was pregnant and single.

She looked at Ron, her friend and former lover, who was looking pointedly at Severus with veiled antipathy.

Severus had the potential to break the contract. He was the one most likely to file charges against the twins. He was perfectly in his rights to do so.

Yes, the twins deserved the worst possible punishment for their total disregard for others.

She had been Obliviated, humiliated, and impregnated thanks to their childish stunt. Why should she help them? Why should she sacrifice herself for them?

Sacrifice?

Would it really be such a sacrifice? She loved the man sitting next to her. What could be worse than that? The Verus Amor potion worked on the basis of a mutual attraction, and Severus had admitted on two occasions that he "cared" for her.

Squeezing his thigh, Hermione leaned over and whispered into his ear. "If you don't press charges, I'll marry you."

Severus turned his head, his lips a mere breath away from hers, his obsidian eyes staring into hers. "And you will come to me willingly?" he asked.

Hermione couldn't help the involuntary shudder that moved through her. Even if the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes managed to find a cure for the potion, would shagging Severus every night be so bad?

"Yes," she whispered, sealing the deal with a kiss.

--

TBC

A/N -- Yeah! No cliffhanger. Thanks to all who continued to read through. In the next chapter Hermione gets Severus to admit that he loves her. Lemons ahead...and the end.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N -- Thanks to Kathy Rose and the Harry Potter Lexicon for helping me through my first fic. Special thanks to Larilee for encouraging the creative process and demanding more chapters.

Chapter Sixteen –

She waited for him nervously in the sitting room. Why should she be nervous? It wasn't as if they hadn't shagged each other's brains out before. Grinning, Hermione perused the books that lined the walls.

True to her word, she was now Hermione Snape. She and Severus were married shortly after all the contracts had been signed. Not only was she married, she had tacked on so many provisions to the settlement, the twins had turned bright red with anger. She didn't know how she was going to manage it, working full-time at Gringotts and raising a child, but she was now Head of Research and Development of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. Ever since she was a Prefect her fifth year and they'd ignored her authority, she'd wanted to stick it to them. And now she had the opportunity to do just that.

Not only had she made it so they could not inflict any more damage on unsuspecting wizards and witches, she'd insisted that the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery apply to them for the rest of their lives with the provision that they could perform magic under close supervision. After all, if they acted like overgrown children, why not treat them as such? She did, however, opt out of the nanny clause. There was no way she was going to entrust her child to those two dunderheads.

Hermione chuckled. Her thoughts sounded like Severus'. Dunderheads indeed! The Pensieve memory showed her how wrong she was.

She'd thought them incompetent of brewing such a complicated potion. She'd been wrong to accuse Severus.

Her thoughts wandered to her husband, who had placed a chaste kiss upon her lips at the civil ceremony, but had yet to touch her since. After the contracts were signed, Albus, she, and Severus took a Portkey back to Hogsmeade. Fred and George had been remanded into the custody of their parents. Judging by the pitch of Molly's voice as she chastised them on the way to the fireplaces in the Atrium, the twins were probably regretting their hasty decision to settle things out of court.

Running her fingers over the cracked spines of the books, Hermione sighed in contemplation. The day's events ran through her mind over and over again along with the memory that she had gathered from the Pensieve.

She'd asked him why, yet she still had no answer. A familiar heat pooled in her loins as she recalled the memory -- his hand on her hip and a husky whisper of good morning. He had been waking her up, or at least trying to. But she hadn't even given him a chance. She hadn't given him a chance to explain, or to proceed in seducing her. Tonks had jumped to the same conclusion she had. It was just like when they were children and they had suspected Snape of trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone, even though there was no real evidence to support that suspicion.

Hermione's conscience drew little comfort from the years of thinking the worst of Severus. It had basically been bred into her. Think the worst of him, and then let him prove his innocence. Even though she'd known he was working for the Order, she'd still had those lingering doubts about his loyalties.

Severus hadn't even tried to defend himself. Apparently, he was used to people thinking the worst of him. Try as she might, she couldn't rationalize his actions. She needed more of an answer than what he had provided in the Pensieve.

What she needed was the truth. Would he ever volunteer it willingly? "Probably not," she answered herself softly. There was only one way to get what she wanted. If Severus had seen fit to alter her memory, then she would just need to adopt some Slytherin tactics.

--

Severus slithered through the halls of Hogwarts, on patrol and looking for errant dunderheads who were out past their curfew. These were the same halls that echoed with the putrid memories of the golden trio. And now he was married to one of them.

He didn't know whom he hated more, the blasted Weasley twins or Albus Dumbledore. Not only had the headmaster abused his Wizengamot privileges by getting those two criminals off, Albus had planted a seed – a seed of lingering doubt that had been festering within him these past few weeks.

"Love is problematic, " Albus' voice rattled in his mind.

"Be quiet, you meddlesome old fool," Severus hissed out loud.

Severus snorted in disgust as he stared at the moonlight through the castle window. He no more loved Hermione Granger than…than he loved Albus Dumbledore.

No. That wasn't right. He admired Dumbledore. Hermione was cut from a similar cloth. She was a bloody Gryffindor, after all. Those ridiculous Gryffindor traits played right into his hands. She'd done the _noble thing_ and _sacrificed _herself to save those twits.

How could he refuse?

She was bound to him and had sworn an oath to share his bed willingly. The dull ache that tugged in his gut was growing and he could feel the need to skive off his duties and go shag his wife senseless. After all, she wanted that as much as he did.

Albus had been all too happy to bind them, making a fool of himself, fawning over Hermione and inviting her to the Great Hall for meals. This was preposterous. All he really wanted to do was lock himself and his new wife in the dungeon and shag her until neither of them could stand.

Hermione would allow it, after all. She would beg him for it, for she was a powerless as he was.

He didn't remember starting to walk, much less how he had gotten to the dungeons of Hogwarts. But he could sense she was near.

The sun would be rising soon so his shift was officially over. Undoing the wards on his private chambers, Severus entered the sitting room and stopped dead in his tracks. There she was, sleeping peacefully on the settee. She wore a short, somewhat sheer dressing gown that clung to her feminine curves as though it were inviting him to take its place. A book was open on her chest and tucked beneath her chin, covering her breasts. She shivered and sighed as she slumbered. She had apparently waited up for him.

Kneeling before her, he reached out to touch her. The lust that had gone without for only a day or two came to life inside him and his trousers grew tight.

Would it always be like this? The constant yearning to be within her would drive a lesser wizard insane. He touched her thigh, pushing the fabric of her gown up until she grimaced and moaned.

"Potion," she murmured in her sleep with a desperate frown. "Love me."

She tossed her head to one side, seemingly lost in an unpleasant dream.

Even in her dreams, she asked for the impossible. He was incapable. He simply didn't believe in love. Love was an immeasurable figment of every sentient being's psyche – a rationalization for monogamy and idiotic gestures of affection.

"Just the potion," she sobbed, obviously distressed in the realm of Morpheus.

Moving his hand from her thigh to her stomach, Severus felt a surge of overwhelming protectiveness for the child who grew within her. Would they have a son or a daughter? Whatever the sex of the child, he prayed he or she looked like their mother.

Hermione had affirmed everything he knew to be true. He was anything but classically handsome. She was young and beautiful, he admitted begrudgingly. She had definitely grown out of the awkward gangly teenager stage. She was an intelligent, ever-questioning, and challenging witch.

He'd always been attracted to her intelligence. Her body was just an added bonus. Her hips had enough flesh to grab hold of for him to anchor himself within her. Her breasts were ivory globes with rose-tipped crowns, ecstasy to suckle and arouse. She wasn't thin like most model witches. Hermione's body reminded him of the famous painting by Sandro Botticelli, "The Birth of Venus," complete with the untamed hair that draped the goddess' body in a mock attempt at modesty. The only difference was that Hermione's hair was chestnut brown compared to the love goddess' golden tresses.

Severus pulled his hand away. Bloody hell! He was comparing his wife to a famous painting. What was next? Would he start spouting poetry to her?

This blasted potion was affecting him more than he wanted to admit. Transfiguring the book into a duvet and arranging it around her body, he walked away.

--

Opening her eyes, Hermione was aware of two things – the urge to use the loo and the reminder that settees do not sleep comfortably. Throwing the duvet off, she dashed to the toilet and relieved herself. Her mind clicked slowly into awareness as she walked back into the sitting room.

She'd waited up for him. Did he ever return last night?

Unable to resist, Hermione opened the door to his bedchambers. His bed had yet to be made and it had definitely been slept in. Unexpected tears burned in her eyes as she realized the depth of her mistake. Severus Snape no more loved her than he loved Hinkypunks or Kneazles.

What a fool she had been.

The dormant fireplace sparked to life and Hermione wiped her sleeve across her eyes. It would not do to have the man see her distraught.

"Hermione?" Ginny's disembodied voice called out from the fireplace. "Are you there?"

Plastering a smile upon her lips, Hermione stepped forward. "I'm here, Ginny."

"Would it be okay if I came through?" Ginny asked. "I have someone here who is feeling a tad neglected."

Hermione looked around apprehensively. "Yes, please," Hermione replied. "Do come through."

Green flames shot higher and Ginny and company appeared before her eyes. A soot-covered ginger cat jumped out of the redheaded witch's arms and sneezed.

Hermione smiled. "Crookshanks! Oh Crookshanks, I'm so sorry! With everything that is going on I completely forgot. I –"

The cat sauntered over to the nearest piece of furniture, jumped onto it, and started cleaning himself, ignoring his owner and obviously perturbed.

Seeing how insulted her pet was, Hermione stopped apologizing to the cat and looked at Ginny. "Thank you so much, Ginny. I don't know what would have happened to him if you –"

"It's all right, Hermione," Ginny interrupted. "He can pretty much take care of himself, that one can. How are you?"

Hermione's forced smile grew wider as she motioned for Ginny to have a seat. "Everything's fine."

Ginny looked uncomfortable. "Are you certain? Harry wanted me to check on you."

She could feel a blush creep into her cheeks. "And why would he want that?" she asked snappishly.

Looking around the unfamiliar surroundings, Ginny stared at the woman next to her. "Because he's concerned for you. We all are. You have to admit, marrying Professor Snape is…is kind of creepy. When he announced that he wouldn't file any complaints against Fred and George on the condition that you would marry him, everyone was speechless."

Hermione reached for Crookshanks, trying to ignore the recap of yesterday's events. She didn't need Ginny reminding her of the mistake she had made.

"I just never imagined that you and Professor Snape held a mutual regard for one another," Ginny continued. "George and Fred are beside themselves, convinced that you have fallen on your sword for them by agreeing to marry Snape."

"It isn't a mutual regard," Hermione whispered shakily, bits and pieces of Severus' remarks finally clicking into place. "He is just securing his place in his child's life. He cares nothing for me."

"Don't be daft, Hermione," Ginny said as she walked toward the fireplace. "Of course, he loves you. You and he never would have…would have…well, you know. Why do you think there weren't more people at the ball who were affected by the potion? It had to be taken by two people who were already in love with one another to work. Professor Snape loves you."

Hermione scratched her pet behind his ears. "Even if he did, it's just the potion. You love Harry, yet you refuse to marry him."

"Actually," Ginny interrupted, "Harry and I are getting married."

Hermione winced as Ginny's announcement ended with her shrieking in excitement.

"Isn't that great?" the redhead asked. "I thought it was just the potion, but Harry convinced me otherwise. After we left the Ministry, he and I went back to his place and…well…you know. Before I could pull my usual, 'I hate you, Harry Potter' routine, he spiked my drink with Veritaserum."

"He did what?" Hermione asked incredulously, momentarily forgetting her own problems. This sounded like something Severus would do.

"He then proceeded to drink the rest of the Veritaserum to prove to me how much he loved me," Ginny said with a smile. "The bloody git took too much of it and is now in St. Mungo's."

"Is he all right?" Hermione asked in awe.

"That remains to be seen," Ginny replied, grabbing a handful of Floo powder. "He's been going on about how much he loves me. When he started loving me. Comparing me to all sorts of poetic nonsense and begging me to marry him. I have to get back to the hospital."

Waving goodbye, Ginny stood in the fireplace and tossed the powder at her feet. "St. Mungo's Hospital."

Hermione, a plot hatching in her mind, watched as her friend disappeared.

--

How he had managed to last as long as he had without seeking her out was beyond him. Perhaps it was his busy schedule. Perhaps it was the part of him that continued to ignore the crumb of guilt over manipulating his lover into their present circumstances. Perhaps it was the spiteful bachelor within him that had only now just acquiesced to the idea that a willing woman in his bed was a small price to pay for his freedom.

Whatever it was, it was what lured him to her right now, seeking the comfort he knew he would find within her willing arms. He would spend his lunch feasting on her instead of sustenance he knew to be waiting for him in the Great Hall.

Entering the sitting room, Severus saw that the House-elves had anticipated his need and had delivered his and Hermione's meal near the dining area. A loud hiss came from the settee followed by a menacing growl, and Severus' eyes widened in surprise.

Her beast was lounging on the piece of furniture as though it had laid claim to it as his domain. There were several boxes on the floor and the well-established bachelor within him shuddered with trepidation. She was moving in.

The Kneazle's growling intensified, calling his mistress to him.

"What is it, Crooks?" her voice called out from the guest quarters.

Severus followed the sound of her voice like a merchant sailor following the lure of an enchantress to his death. Closing the door behind him, Severus glared at her, taking in her appearance.

Her hair was wild, errant curls of it clinging to her face. Her cheeks were flushed with exertion, and her eyes were wild as if sensing the reason he stood before her. Before she could greet him, Severus crossed the room and pulled her into his arms, silencing her groan of approval with a kiss.

He sipped at the responsive groan greedily, reveling in her powerless response to him. His hands molded her hips into his and he silently cursed the clothing that separated him from his goal. Pulling his wand from his sleeve, he muttered the spell that would rectify this problem.

Sneering as she stood naked before him, Severus pushed his robe to the side and gasped when she reached for his trousers. He groaned as she freed his readied sex and backed her against the door.

There was no gentleness when he lifted her against the door and thrust with a savage growl into her welcome heat.

--

Hermione wrapped her legs around him and shivered with excitement. He was with her, inside her, giving her what she craved. He was mumbling something against her shoulder, something that was incoherent yet filled with need.

Hearing him give a strangled groan, Hermione felt the warmth of his seed spread within her. He pried her legs from around him and set her on her feet, making sure she could stand before he stepped away and righted himself.

"Eat lunch before the house-elves think you're not interested in the meal," Severus stated softly as he walked away. The door closed behind him with a resounding click.

Staring at the door in disbelief and frustration, Hermione picked up a book and threw it at the door, hoping and waiting for him to burst through the door only to finish what he had started. The cad! The bastard! Her husband! How dare he shag her and leave her still wanting!

Righteous indignation inundated any reservations she held about her course of action.

--

Sitting next to Dumbledore and sipping her pumpkin juice, Hermione glanced at her husband. Severus was already perturbed, having been usurped from his normal seat at the table. He was sitting on the other side of her, totally unaware of the Veritaserum in his drink. Dobby had been more than thrilled to assist her in exchange for a nice pair of socks.

She watched nervously as he sliced his food methodically into bite-sized pieces. He had yet to touch his drink.

"I must admit that I am surprised to be dining with you tonight, Hermione," Albus commented. "I would have thought that two newlyweds would take their meals in their chambers."

Severus snorted in disgust and set his utensils down. Grabbing his glass, he glared at the headmaster and sipped his wine.

Hermione smirked knowingly.

"I remember my first marriage," Albus went on. "Emily was fifty years my senior and we were crazy for one another."

"I didn't know you were married," Hermione said with a smile as she watched Severus set his glass down. He looked at her questioningly and she turned her attention to Dumbledore.

"Ah, yes," the headmaster answered thoughtfully. "Emily was the love of my life. Sadly, she passed on a few years into our marriage."

Dumbledore shook his head as if clearing the memory of his deceased wife away. "Both of you are truly fortunate having found true love. Isn't that correct, Severus?"

"Yes, Headmaster," Severus answered quickly, his fork and knife clattering to his plate as he realized what he had said.

Hermione blushed and looked down at her plate, her heart soaring. Sure, it wasn't exactly a bold admission. But she would take what she could get. She just needed to get Severus alone and ask him the right questions. She could feel Severus' curious gaze upon her.

Dumbledore droned on about true love and happily-ever-after. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione could see Severus inspecting his drink. Playing with the food on her plate, she shifted in her seat.

--

Why had he answered Albus? What question had he answered anyway? Why had he even felt compelled to answer the question? Why was his wife looking at her plate as if it held an intriguing puzzle on it? Feeling a familiar tingle course through him, Severus inspected his glass. The doddering ramblings of Albus continued as the old wizard started spouting love poetry.

"The lovely color of your wife's eyes remind of my Emily's favorite poem," Albus purred. "Emily's eyes were brown like yours, Hermione. But they held a light within their dark irises that reflected such a plethora of color. Hermione's eyes are like that as well. Don't you think so, Severus?"

"Her eyes reflect no colors. However, they do have a certain degree of depth to them," Severus stated the truth solemnly. What had possessed him to compliment the color of his wife's eyes?

Hermione looked up from her plate then, her eyes dancing with mirth. "Do go on, Severus. What else do you think of my eyes?"

"I fear that I could drown in them," he blurted out and slapped his hand over his mouth.

Veritaserum! He lifted his wineglass to his nose and sniffed its contents even though he knew he would be unable to detect it via scent. It was the strongest truth serum out there. He would be unable to resist answering with dreadful honesty any question that was asked of him.

Severus glared at Albus, who was looking at him with that infernal twinkle in his eye. Had the headmaster poisoned him with the serum?

"Is something the matter with your wine, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

Staring at his mentor in disbelief, Severus shuddered. He could tell. It wasn't the old wizard who had poisoned him. His eyes met those of his wife and his breath caught. The look in her eyes, the same eyes that moment ago he had confessed to drowning in, twinkled.

Twinkled! Was it a bloody Gryffindor trait? She couldn't possibly have slipped the truth serum into his drink.

She leaned closer to him, running her fingers through his hair and tucking it behind his ear. The warmth of her breath caressed his ear as she spoke.

"What's the matter, Severus?" she purred. "Are you afraid that I may discover the truth?"

"Yes," he hissed quickly, unable to resist the urge to answer the direct question. Severus jumped up, knocking his chair backwards. "Please excuse me, Headmaster. I have urgent business I must attend to."

--

Hermione watched as Severus ran away, a satisfied smile spreading across her face. He could run, but he couldn't hide.

--

Pacing the length of his office, Severus cursed. He had several hours to go before the Veritaserum worked its way out of his system. What did she want with him? Why had she put the serum in his drink?

He snorted, part of him admiring her very Slytherin tactic, the other part of him irritated over the trickery. She must have had an accomplice. How had she managed to slip the serum into his glass without him noticing? Did it really matter? She would be unable to ask annoying questions of him if she couldn't find him. Even if she did manage to find him, she would be unable to break through the wards to his office.

Severus sat at his desk, devising a proper punishment for his young wife. Nothing too drastic. He didn't really care for BDSM, but tying his witch up certainly did appeal to him. In fact, he could feel the stirrings of desire thrum through him. Once the Veritaserum worked its way out of his system, his wife wouldn't know what hit her.

The fireplace in his office sparked to life and he jumped up and ran around his desk. How could he have forgotten to shut the Floo off?

Hermione stepped into the room, brushing the soot off her robe.

"Mischief managed," she said, tapping her wand to the parchment, and then folding it up.

"Leave my office at once, Miss Granger!" Severus demanded.

His wife laughed. "We're married and I'm expecting your child. It's a little late to start calling me by my maiden name."

"I see no point of this conversation," Severus murmured and walked toward the door.

"Do you love me?" asked Hermione.

"Yes," Severus hissed through clenched teeth.

Walking toward him, Hermione reached for him. But Severus turned away.

Hermione pulled her wand out and pointed it at his back. "Stop! I want answers and you're going to give them to me."

Severus turned around and chuckled mirthlessly. "And just how do you propose on getting them?" He flicked his wand and the wards on the door started to come undone.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ shouted Hermione.

His wand flew from his hand.

"There," Hermione said with a leer, "that should stop your escape attempt."

"How dare –"

"How dare you, Severus!" Hermione countered. "You shagged me, Obliviated me, shagged me again under false pretenses, leading me to believe I was some wanton witch carrying someone's child whom I couldn't even remember being with. Why? Why did you do it?"

Severus cringed, the dreaded question hanging between them and rending the answer from him. The potion, he wanted to say. He wanted to blame the infernal potion, but that was a lie. He hardly knew the answer to the question, unwilling to admit it to himself, much less the woman before him. "I love you."

"Why?" she asked again and tucked her wand away.

"Why what?" Severus growled. "You have to be more specific with your questions. That's the problem with Veritaserum. If you ask a question, you should be prepared to hear the answer." Leave it up to her to compound the problem. Would she ever stop torturing him with insipid questions?

"Is it the potion? Is the potion the reason you love me?"

"No and no," Severus answered quickly and smirked. His wife was nibbling her bottom lip. She looked doubtful, almost afraid of his answers. Perhaps he could stop her annoying line of questioning.

"You've known how I felt all along?" Hermione whispered. "Why didn't you tell me of your feelings for me?"

An answer sprung forth in his mind, clarity gifting him with an admittance he felt was a fate worse than death. He bit his lip in an effort to keep his secret, but it left him of its own volition.

"I was afraid."

The impossible had happened. Not only had he verbalized the thoughts that had rattled in the back of his mind for years, but Hermione had been rendered speechless.

Severus met her gaze, waiting for her to laugh. Waiting for her to tell him this was some sort of elaborate joke. Waiting for accomplices to jump from the woodwork and ridicule him. She was standing in front of him, the chocolate depths of her eyes sincere and moist.

"I won't ask what you are afraid of," Hermione whispered softly and reached for him, cupping his cheek in the palm of her hand. "In time…I hope you will tell me. But know this – You have nothing to be afraid of."

The gesture was one of comfort. Not pity. He was as powerless against the physical need as he was the Veritaserum. Turning his face, he pressed his lips against her palm.

"I love you, Severus," Hermione stated solemnly.

With a growl of desperation he pulled her against him and made his intentions known.

--

She acquiesced, welcoming the onslaught of his lustful design. Hermione sighed encouragingly and moaned in welcome as he lifted her onto his desk. Opening her robe, Severus grabbed hold of the skirt and knickers she insisted on wearing under them, and rolled the offending garments off her body.

Hermione knew the desire that flooded through him and the urge to sate it quickly and as often as possible.

"Love is for fools," he growled menacingly as he threw his robe onto the ground and pulled his pants down.

Wiggling her bum on the cold wood of the desk, Hermione opened her legs in a silent plea. "Be that as it may, I know better now."

Severus grunted in response as he anchored himself to her and searched her velvety dampness with his fingers.

Gasping, Hermione pushed against his fingers. "When they find the antidote, will you take it?"

"No," he hissed through clenched teeth as he eased into her. "If the Ministry ever did produce an antidote, I would do everything within my power to prevent you from taking it as well."

She whimpered as his thickness filled her, glorying in his admission.

Establishing a deliciously slow rhythm, Severus nipped at her ear lobe. "I wouldn't want you coming to your senses and realizing you'd made a disastrous mistake."

Pulling him to her for a kiss, Hermione panted. She never would have guessed at his insecurities. Harry had once told her of Severus' Pensieve memory and how James and Sirius had bullied him.

"I love you," she reminded him, breaking their passionate kiss.

He deepened their intimate connection and slid a hand between them, caressing her clitoris and causing her to keen.

"Such simple, foolish words," he moaned.

"Words I'll always remember," Hermione responded breathlessly as she met her release.

--

He could barely contain his excitement after feeling her clench around him. Grasping her hips, Severus hammered into her, his intellect taking little comfort in her declaration. Unable to hold off his release, he spilled himself into her tender heat.

As was his custom, Severus tried to pull away from her, but she locked her ankles around his arse. He could feel the excitable tremors of her body still surrounding him and enticing him to ravage her again. He stayed within her and brushed his cheek against her sensitive nipple.

"And what of you?" he murmured softly, needing answers to questions that lingered beyond the cusp of his sanity. "Would you consume the antidote? Would you choose to rid yourself of me? Once you realized how the potion truly affected you, would you still delude yourself into believing that you 'love' me?"

Her cheeks were flushed with passion. "I would take the antidote to prove to you that I do love you. You may consider my emotions trite and my words foolish, but I've loved you for so long I can't remember when I started."

"If you expect words of love and endearments, you are sorely mistaken," Severus growled, nipping at her neck.

Running her fingers along his arse, she dug her nails into it and urged him deeper. "Fidelity, honesty, and no more Obliviates," Hermione groaned passionately. "That is all I need from you."

Severus grinned. "I assume you forgive me then."

--

Nine months later –

"I just don't see why we couldn't stay at Hogwarts and have Poppy deliver the baby," Severus groused as he stepped out of the fireplace at St. Mungo's Hospital and brushed soot off his robe.

Hermione cringed as a contraction lanced through her midsection as she sat in the wheelchair that the maternity Healer offered her. "It would be somewhat difficult seeing as Poppy is here, helping Tonks," she huffed, trying to breathe through the discomfort.

Severus made a noncommittal reply and bumped the Healer out of the way to push his wife down the hall.

Hermione rolled her eyes in irritation. Her husband's behavior bordered on that of a petulant child at times. She had no doubt he would be a wonderful father. He had actually spent more time in the nursery than she had. Of course, he would never admit to being a sentimental fool, but she took solace in his true feelings.

He loved her. He didn't tell her, but he certainly did show her on a daily basis. Severus had been grumpy due to the impossibility of physical intimacy the last month of her pregnancy. She'd done as much as she could to accommodate the physical demands of their relationship, but it had become just too uncomfortable.

The Ministry had yet to develop an antidote for the potion, which had spurred Severus to begin his own research. He had reasoned that they at least needed a contraceptive potion that would enable Hermione and him to enjoy some time to themselves before they were overrun by a gaggle of children.

Severus was a sensual, selfish man. He was possessive and obsessed with her. Some women might find that off-putting, but Hermione found it endearing. Yes, the lust potion enhanced the obsessive part, but she still found Severus helpless underneath her touch extremely gratifying.

They rounded the corner and listened to a strangled groan. Luna Lovegood walked out of the ward, holding a bundle in her arms, smiling contentedly.

"Hi, Hermione," Luna greeted her friend. "Professor Snape. Are you here to have your baby?"

Hermione didn't see it, but she could imagine Severus rolling his eyes.

"Yes," Hermione replied warmly, patting her rounded belly and eyeing the bundle in Luna's arms. "May I?" she asked through clenched teeth as another contraction hit her.

"I think it best we check in first, Hermione," Severus stated, his normally calm tones tinged with panic.

Hermione breathed through her contraction and put her foot down and prevented him from pushing her along. "I want to see the baby," she growled in warning, the pain of contractions encouraging her snappish mood.

Luna flipped the blanket away from the baby's face and held the carefully wrapped infant out to the soon-to-be mother.

Hermione smiled. The baby's hair was strawberry blonde and a beautiful combination of both her parents. "I hope I'm as fortunate as you," she sighed. "You look great."

Luna giggled. "Ron did all the hard work. He suffered through the labor. I only had to deliver Celine."

"She's…lovely," Severus stated quickly, trying his best to get his wife to lift her foot.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. She knew her husband all too well. He was anything but thrilled. Just a week ago, Molly Weasley had delivered a set of twin girls. True to form, Severus started devising ways on how to keep the "dunderheads" from giggling in his class.

Just then another contraction hit Hermione and she lifted her foot. "I must heed my husband's advice and leave," she panted through the pain.

--

Severus watched her as she slept. She was so peaceful, the foundation in his life. Thankfully, Hermione was strong-willed and able to tolerate his unbending ways. His arm was asleep, his daughter safely nestled in the crook of it. Secila's eyes were already a misty gray, obviously destined to be the color of her mother's eyes.

He'd spent the last hour pondering his daughter. Fine black hair dotted her head, a trait of his he seemed not to mind. Severus breathed a sigh of relief, thanking the Fates that his daughter seemed to have escaped the horrid feature of his hooked nose.

Growling in frustration, Severus shifted Secila in his arms. It would be six weeks until he could have her mother again. The Healers were adamant about Hermione's recovery time. That was good in the long run, for he was close to perfecting the contraceptive potion that would enable him to have his wife over and over again without fear of the consequences.

Not that Secila was a consequence, Severus contemplated with satisfaction. The birth of their daughter sealed their marriage vows. They would be together forever.

A soft knock on the door broke Severus' blissful reverie. Harry Potter walked into the room.

"What do you want?" Severus asked, his hold on his daughter tightening.

Potter looked worn and older, a bandage over his left eyebrow.

"Has your wife been upset with you, again?" Severus sneered.

Harry glared at Severus, his hand touching the cut above his left eyebrow. "I fell in the delivery room," Harry stated. "How is Hermione?"

Severus snorted in disgust. "Passed out, Potter?"

"Oh, hi, Harry," Hermione said, yawning as she stretched.

Severus quickly veiled his dislike for her friend. It would not do to upset her while her hormones were in this volatile stage. He had already survived a fistful of his hair being torn from his skull.

"I have a son, Hermione," Harry announced. "James Arthur."

Severus cringed. He really must consider retirement.

"That's wonderful, Harry," Hermione replied. "How's Ginny?"

"She's resting."

"And Tonks?"

Severus watched the interplay, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from kicking Potter's ass out of his wife's room.

"She's great," Harry stated. "Remus is kind of upset he missed the birth of his son, but he'll get over it. They're running tests now to see if the baby has Lycanthropy."

"Lycanthropy is rarely passed from father to child," Severus reminded his wife. Would the injustice ever end? His daughter would be going to school with Lupin's and Potter's boys! "I trust that you will make every effort to keep your son away from my daughter?"

"Severus," Hermione's voice warned tenderly, "don't start."

Harry smiled. "I better get back to Ginny before George and Fred come back."

"Tell George and Fred to stop by once they finish visiting," Hermione replied. "I've some ideas to run by them regarding the shop."

Harry nodded, kissed her on the cheek, and backed out of the room. "Congratulations, Hermione."

Severus huffed at the slight. Yes, they would definitely have to consider sending Secila to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.

"You're not sending her to Beauxbatons," Hermione murmured sleepily, reading her husband's mind.

His eyes snapped to hers and narrowed. How did she do that?

"Beauxbatons is a fine institution," Severus argued.

"She's going to Hogwarts. That's final."

"Surely you realize the corruptive influence that would be surrounding her."

His wife rolled her eyes and held her arms out for their daughter. "Those corruptive influences will be her friends whether you like it or not, Severus. She'll follow the rules. She'll probably be prefect one day."

Severus relinquished the bundle to her mother and started pacing. "Next thing you tell me is that she'll be sorted into Gryffindor." Severus shuddered at the thought.

Adjusting herself and rearranging the baby, Hermione encouraged the baby to nurse. "It is a possibility, Severus."

Watching the natural display of his daughter suckling her mother sent a shock of jealous lust through him. He sat next to them and watched, the lust tempering itself quickly. Would he ever get used to the sight of this? His wife and daughter.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked worriedly, seeing the dark expression on his face.

"Nothing's the matter," he replied, his voice thick with emotion.

Their daughter suckled greedily.

"You do realize there is no antidote for the Verus Amor potion," Severus stated offhandedly, basically letting Hermione know that he loved her. "It either works or it doesn't work."

Hermione smile brightly, her eyes dancing with laughter.

Severus wanted to tell her he loved her, but the words always stuck in his throat. Other than her finding out he'd Obliviated her, there had only been one other terrible row between them. His wife had insisted he start practicing how to tell their daughter that he loved her.

Yes, he had years before the child understood a word he was saying. But he had to admit, it never hurt to start practicing.

--

Fin

A/N – I started an epilogue for this story, but decided against it. I was actually happy with the ending of this story, which is rare. I always struggle with endings. Anyway, the unfinished epilogue can be found on my livejournal at http://looneylaluna. I have plenty more SS/HG stories written. So keep an eye out for them. I just have to tweak them a bit. I'll probably start posting one of them this weekend. Thanks to all who reviewed. It's been a pleasure.

I also wrote a companion piece for this story. It centers around what Remus and Tonks went through after consuming the potion. The title is "A Cursed Wound."


End file.
